Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said he is not going anywhere for the next 15 to 20 years and the Congress government led by him will complete its full tenure of five years in the state. He also expressed confidence that his government will return after the next state election.
His statement comes amid internal rumblings in the Congress in neighbouring Punjab, where Capt Amarinder Singh resigned as the CM, and Chhattisgarh which is also in the grip of a political turmoil. A cabinet expansion and political appointments too are awaited in Rajasthan.
“I will make Shanti Dhariwal the minister of the same department (UDH). I have given him the portfolio, he has worked hard. The government will form again and the same portfolio for the fourth time will be with him,” his statement implied that he will be the CM for the fourth time and would be distributing the portfolios.
Speaking at a program at his residence, the CM said there were speculations about Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, after the change of guard in Punjab. “The Congress government in Rajasthan will not only complete its five years but will again come back to power in the next assembly elections in the state.”
He continued that there is no anti-incumbency so far, and that is what the people were saying. “We did not leave any stone unturned. We had come on 56 seats, then, the second time on 21 seats - we did not leave any stone unturned in the work both the times. Don’t know what will happen next, but this time the mood of the public is that of a comeback,” said the CM.
{{/usCountry}}He continued that there is no anti-incumbency so far, and that is what the people were saying. “We did not leave any stone unturned. We had come on 56 seats, then, the second time on 21 seats - we did not leave any stone unturned in the work both the times. Don’t know what will happen next, but this time the mood of the public is that of a comeback,” said the CM.
{{/usCountry}}On oppositions charges of the CM locked inside the house, he said, “Our opposition BJP says that the CM is locked in the room. By the grace of Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan, and others, we stayed in hotels for 34 days (during the political crisis last year), so how did we remain inside. You people were very kind. But by the grace of our MLAs, that time also passed.”
In a lighter vein, he took a dig at the bureaucracy, “Our chief secretary, bureaucrats are the first to worry whether the government will remain or not; discussions start at the Secretariat…work is stopped and discussions start.” He reiterated that the government will not only run for five years but return to power in the next elections.
In Rajasthan, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and Gehlot have been at loggerheads since the government was formed in the state. Pilot, along with 18 MLAs had rebelled against the Gehlot leadership in July 2020.