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‘How times have changed’: Rajasthan MLA's swipe as Gehlot loyalists meet Kharge
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and some of his loyalists were in Delhi to congratulate newly-election Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a veiled attack on Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's camp, a Congress MLA said that conspirators against the party high command were the first to go to Delhi to congratulate the new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Divya Maderna, Congress MLA from Osian, shared photographs of Shanti Dhariwal, Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore - the three Gehlot loyalists were issued a show-cause notice by the Congress disciplinary committee over a rebellion by a large group of MLAs – with newly-elected party president noting how the “times have changed”.
“The conspirators against the high command are the first to go to Delhi to congratulate the new Congress president,” she said in a tweet, without naming anyone.
Maderna has maintained that she belongs to neither of the camps – Gehlot or Pilot – and her loyalty lies with Congress and the party high command.
Last month, Kharge and Ajay Maken were sent as observers for the Congress legislative party meeting convened for passing a resolution authorising the Congress chief to appoint a successor to Gehlot, who was then about to contest the Congress presidential election. However, 82 MLAs boycotted the meeting and a parallel meeting was held at Dhariwal's residence.
The party's disciplinary committee had sent the notices after Kharge and Maken submitted their written report to then-party president Sonia Gandhi charging three state leaders with "gross indiscipline".
“Incidentally, Mr. Kharge was one of the observers sent to Jaipur to attend the legislature party meeting who later submitted a written report to the disciplinary committee and on the basis of which the notice was issued,” Maderna wrote in Hindi.
“They did even not come to meet Kharge Ji despite his repeated requests, boycotted the meeting of the legislative party and held a parallel meeting and when came as the Chief Whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, then put a condition in front of Kharge Ji that any decision (on Rajasthan chief minister) would be taken after October 19 and we will only meet Sonia Gandhi Ji.”
