E-Paper
'80% of MLAs with Sachin Pilot': Rajasthan minister amid fresh tussle. Watch
Rajasthan Congress crisis: The state is one of the last held by the Congress as it eyes a revival in electoral base.
The Congress is having a deja-vu moment in Rajasthan, it seems. Just like Punjab where the party witnessed rumblings months before state elections last year, Rajasthan too is now seeing fresh public spats. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has stirred up trouble after calling Sachin Pilot, his former deputy, a “traitor” (more specifically - “gaddar”), in an interview.
Gehlot was speaking with NDTV when he referred to Pilot and spoke about the revolt that erupted in September in Rajasthan against the ex deputy chief minister, compelling Gehlot to withdraw his candidature for the Congress's presidential polls. “If Pilot had apologised, there would have been no revolt against him. The 90 MLAs' revolt was against Pilot. And after many of our ministers had said also that cannot accept gaddar, traitor... “ The Rajasthan Chief Minister’s supporters were up in arms, and had threatened to quit amid speculations that Pilot could become the chief minister if Gehlot became the Congress’s president.
Another explosive claim was made was in context of the 2020 rebellion by Pilot when he had left the state briefly and gone camping with his supporters. Gehlot said each of the MLAs were lured with ₹100 crore.
Even as Pilot has rebuffed the claims, and the Congress has acknowledged the crisis, adding that it will resolve the matter, now a state minister has said that Pilot enjoys a huge supporter base among legislators. “We will leave our claim if you do not find 80 per cent of the MLAs with Sachin Pilot. They may call him ‘nikamma, nakara, gawaar’. But I want to tell that there can be no better leader than Pilot Sahab for the state's health. Four MLAs are presently with him,” RS Gudha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The controversy comes as Rajasthan is warming up to vote in the state polls next year. The BJP is already taking potshots at the ruling party, saying that they may not have time to pay attention to the state affairs amid rumblings.
(With inputs from ANI)
