Ashok Gehlot renews attack on Sachin Pilot, hurls big charge over 2020 coup

Gehlot's attack comes after the Union Jal Shakti minister said that Pilot missed the opportunity and had the government changed, water would have reached the areas of the state via the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has launched a fresh attack on his former deputy Sachin Pilot, alleging he was in connivance with Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in 2020 to topple the Congress government in the state, news agency PTI reported.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress leader Sachin Pilot. 

Gehlot's attack comes after the Union Jal Shakti minister said that Pilot missed the opportunity and had the government changed, water would have reached the areas of the state via the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

“The minister (Gajendra Singh Shekhawat) is saying that if Sachin Pilot had not missed the chance and if the government had changed in Rajasthan, then water would have come (through ERCP) in the state. Can a Union minister speak such a language? What can be more shameful than this,” news agency PTI quoted the chief minister.

Pilot and his supporters had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, by staging a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan before moving to Haryana. It was after efforts by Gandhi family that Pilot relented. The Congress had accused the BJP of trying to topple the Gehlot government.

However, Pilot denied speculations that he was donning the saffron mantle. The Gandhi family assured him that his grievances will be addressed.

In a latest development related to the 2020 Rajasthan political drama, Shekhawat also recently received a court notice on a revised petition filed by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which sought the Union minister's voice samples in connection with horse-trading allegations of legislators during the political crisis in 2020.

Three audio clips of alleged telephonic conservations had surfaced and it was alleged that Shekhawat referred to in these clips was the union minister himself, who tried to topple the Ashok Gehlot government, PTI further reported.

Reacting to the court notice, chief minister Gehlot said on Saturday that it was issued rather late and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat kept on saving himself but he eventually received the notice.

(With PTI inputs)