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15 Raj Congress leaders flag turncoats’ influence in state unit to Sonia Gandhi
In Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s factions have been sparring against each other for a fortnight over Cabinet expansion and political appointments
Fifteen Congress leaders, who lost the assembly elections in 2018 have written to party president Sonia Gandhi about the undue influence of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-turned-Congress MLAs and independents in the state government, as the political turmoil in the Rajasthan Congress continues to intensify.
“We welcome the support of BSP MLAs who joined Congress and independent MLAs to the government. In the 2.5 year tenure of the party’s government, there was negligible participation of the Congress leaders but was of BSP turncoats and independents, be it the appointments of the officials or the nominated councillors,” the letter, which HT has seen, read.
The workers and public who voted in 2018 aren’t being heard in the government, the letter stated.
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In Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s factions have been sparring against each other for a fortnight over Cabinet expansion and political appointments.
One of the signatories, the party candidate from Shahpura, Manish Yadav, said the MLAs were weakening the party workers and organisational structure in the assembly area. “It is unfortunate that the party organisation is working on the whims of these MLAs (which was visible in the local body and PRI polls where they participated fully and we did not). The party workers and voters are feeling cheated,” he said.
Yadav said, “We have urged the leadership to ensure workers’ participation in the political and organisational appointments.”
Commenting on the letter, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara said, “In the party, every work is done after consultation and suggestions from all, be it ticket distribution or appointments. Because of this, good results were received in the local and PRI polls. However, if there are some issues, we will look into them.”
