MLA Rafiq Khan: A person rising rapidly in Congress and connected to the ground
As far as we talk about Rajasthan, Congress Party or Muslim community, everyone will see only one face and name, whose name is Rafiq Khan. These are not words of praise, but this is the reality. Rafiq Khan is such a face of Rajasthan Congress, who has emerged rapidly. If you read this article till the end, then the sentences written in the introduction will seem hundred percent true to you.
Rafiq Khan is currently an MLA from Adarsh Nagar Assembly seat of Jaipur City Lok Sabha constituency and is the Chief Whip of the Congress Legislative Party in the Rajasthan Assembly. He has become an MLA for the second time. He has also been the Chairman of the Rajasthan State Minority Commission. No one from his family background has been in the political arena. His father Chhotu Khan ji was a businessman and poet and a person who lived a simple and modest life, who is no longer in this world.
First of all, four or five sentences paying tribute to his father, which will surprise you if you read them. The son, that is Rafiq Khan contested the first assembly election of 2018 and Chhotu Khan ji, despite being completely healthy, did not go anywhere to ask for votes for his son, although he had a lot of influence in the city, did not tell anyone to vote for Rafiq, just remained engrossed in his relationship with God at home. Whatever he had to say or ask for, he said and asked for it from God only. The result of which was also before us, a new person who entered the fray for the first time among the great political pundits of Jaipur, who had no connection whatsoever with politics, defeated the then State President of BJP, Ashok Parnami, in the elections.
Rafiq Khan was born on 24 February 1966. Adarsh Nagar assembly seat is considered to be Muslim dominated, but before Rafiq Khan, there was no Muslim MLA from here. In the 2008 and 2013 assembly elections, BJP's Ashok Parnami was elected MLA from here. Before delimitation, a large part of it came under Johri Bazar assembly constituency, now there is no seat by this name. There were definitely Muslim MLAs from Johri Bazar assembly seat.
I still remember that day of 18 February 2018, when we (I, Firoz Bhaisahab, Sikandar Bhaisahab Niazi and Rafiq Sahab) were sitting at Rafiq Sahab's house and discussing politics over tea. Rafiq Sahab asked me who are the contenders from Adarsh Nagar? I told him the names of all the main contenders from Congress and BJP, who were discussed in the political corridors. He asked what else? I said I don't see anyone else, then he replied with alacrity that I am sitting right in front of you. We were shocked, I said are you joking or will you really become a contender? Then he said with great confidence that I am a contender, I will get a Congress ticket and will also win the election.
I said then congratulations, should I publish the news? He said, yes you publish the news. As soon as I published the news of his candidature, the contenders started asking that from where did you bring this new contender, did you even ask him? I said, I have asked and the guy has also claimed to become an MLA. This was the first news of Rafiq Bhai's candidature in Iqra patrika. Till July everyone was thinking it to be a joke, but in August his name started ringing, the old contenders suddenly started lagging behind and in November when the ticket was announced, Congress made Rafiq Khan its candidate, all the political leaders of the city were shocked by this announcement.
The election was for a week or ten days, a new candidate, urban seat. In front was the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's strong and experienced general and BJP state president Ashok Parnami. Parnami ji was also confident of victory, why shouldn't he be confident, he was a seasoned politician and contesting from a traditional BJP seat and against him was a new Muslim Congress candidate without any political background. When journalists asked Parnami ji that Congress has given ticket to Rafiq Khan against him? He immediately said who Rafiq? That is, he took it very lightly.
At that time Rafiq Khan did not know how to give a strong speech, there were very few days of campaigning, but he went from street to street and on the strength of his strong confidence and the few companions he had, he probed every voter, assured them and said that if you make me win the election, you will remember that such a person will come among you as an MLA, who will stay among you day and night and will never give you a chance to complain.
People believed his innocent face and candid words. Voting took place on 7 December. Such enthusiasm and passion for voting was never seen before in Adarsh Nagar Assembly constituency. Counting of votes took place on 11 December and Rafiq Khan became MLA. After the result was announced, when journalists asked Rafiq Khan, "When Parnami ji gave you the ticket, you said, who is Rafiq?" So what will you say now? Rafiq Khan immediately replied, "Now Parnami ji must have known who Rafiq is?"
These words are being written for a lucky, polite, sociable, hospitable, always in the midst of people MLA who wakes up early in the morning to listen to people's problems and then keeps listening to them till late at night and tries to solve them as much as possible. He gets calls till 2 am especially about patients in SMS hospital and he keeps sending the details of the concerned patient to the doctor, talks to the doctor and also requests politely, never speaks loudly to any doctor or other medical personnel, I am writing all these things which I have seen with my eyes and heard with my ears while sitting near him.
In the 2018 assembly elections, Rafiq Khan got 88 thousand 541 votes, 50.78 percent. Ashok Parnami got 75 thousand 988 votes, the margin of victory was 12 thousand 553. The government was formed by Congress, Ashok Gehlot became the Chief Minister for the third time. Rafiq Khan worked hard, did not give anyone a chance to complain. The new leader who did not know how to give a strong speech during election campaign, progressed rapidly in his speaking style in just a few months, due to his work he completely dominated the politics of the capital, the way he raised the issues of the public in the assembly, everyone would wonder how a person who became an MLA for the first time could be so adept at speaking? But all this was the voice of his heart, the voice of the promises made to the public, the voice of accountability towards the public, the voice of the suffering of the public.
Chief Minister Gehlot made him the chairman of the Minority Commission. When the 2023 elections came, the party again fielded him and this time he became an MLA for the second time by getting a record 1 lakh 3 thousand 421 votes, getting 52.18 percent votes. Ravi Nayyar was in the fray from BJP, who got 89 thousand 348 votes. The margin of victory was 14 thousand 73 votes. Adarsh Nagar is a Muslim majority constituency, so being a traditional Congress voter, Muslim votes were cast in favour of Rafiq Khan in both the elections, but it was the non-Muslim voters who brought these votes to victory.
Attempts were made to polarise Hindus and Muslims in both the elections, Jaipur city is traditionally a stronghold of BJP, BJP consistently won from Adarsh Nagar. Despite all this, Rafiq Khan got a good number of non-Muslim votes, about which in the first election it can be said that the voters who were angry with Parnami voted for Rafiq Khan in large numbers. But in the second election, he got more votes due to his work. People got a decent and civilised MLA who is easily available, who listens to the problems of anyone who comes to him and tries to solve them, what more can a voter want than this?
Due to Rafiq Khan's working style, participation in the assembly, outspokenness, connection with the public, dedication towards the policies of the Congress party and the thinking of working for everyone by staying away from the internal factionalism of the party, the party made him the Chief Whip of the Congress in the Assembly after winning for the second time. Probably for the first time, Congress has made a Muslim MLA the Chief Whip in Rajasthan. His way of working and speaking about public interest in the assembly with decency is praised not only by the common man, political analysts and Congress party leaders, but the leaders of the ruling BJP also praise Rafiq Khan in mutual discussions.
A living proof of Rafiq Khan working for everyone and behaving decently with the other person came to light in March 2025. When during the discussion in the assembly, BJP MLA Gopal Sharma abused him by calling him "Pakistani-Pakistani". Rafiq Khan became emotional, while talking to the media outside the assembly, he said that "I have also talked to the Speaker about this, but no action was taken on this matter. I am feeling very aggrieved today."
"Today I told the speaker of the assembly that you discuss issues offline (outside the house), but this issue should also be discussed, the way the Jaipur MLA has maligned my personality, my father passed away two years ago, but I am happy, because if he were alive today, he would have been very sad to see this, if I had been abused so much, he would probably not have been able to bear it."
He further said that "I have not slept for two nights. I am in pain, is it a crime to be a Muslim MLA? And if being a Muslim MLA is a crime, and this is the poverty of language, then I want to say to the people of Bharatiya Janata Party, a law should be brought and it should be decided that from today onwards no Muslim MLA will be elected to this assembly."
This emotional media address of Rafiq Khan went viral very fast. Congress leaders and even BJP leaders sympathized with him and called Gopal Sharma's comment wrong, there was tremendous anger among the public. Gopal Sharma expressed regret in the assembly.
Another similar incident also happened after this. Hawa Mahal was about BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya spoiling the atmosphere of the capital every day and making communal statements. When Balmukund Acharya insulted the mosque in front of the historic Jama Masjid of Jaipur, Rafiq Khan held a press conference in the same mosque and in front of the mosque packed with journalists, he fiercely pulled up Balmukund Acharya, warned him in harsh words. For the first time, people saw Rafiq Khan in such anger. The way he pulled up Balmukund Acharya, made everyone around him angry. Praise was given. Till date, no Muslim leader in Rajasthan has done such a press conference in the matter of spoiling communal harmony.
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