Ashok Gehlot accuses Sachin Pilot, BJP of conspiracy to topple govt

Hours after Sachin Pilot appeared to strike a conciliatory note on Wednesday by saying he would not join the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot accused his former deputy, without naming him, of being involved in a conspiracy to topple the state government.

Pilot, who was on Tuesday removed as the Rajasthan deputy chief minister and Congress’s state unit chief for rebelling against Gehlot, denied he was going to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pilot also rejected allegations that he was planning to bring down the government with the BJP’s help and added those saying so were trying to lower him in “the eyes of the Gandhis”.

Also read: 24 hours of twists and turns in Rajasthan political drama

Gehlot wasn’t impressed. “Money was offered. And who gave a clarification that nothing was happening? Those leaders, who themselves were involved and part of the conspiracy, are giving clarifications,” Gehlot said, without naming his deputy with whom he has an extremely strained relationship.

“With us, you are deputy CM [chief minister] and PCC [Pradesh Congress Committee chief] and you make deals with people [BJP]. You ask for mobile number and names and are involved in the conspiracy... and then give the clarification that there was no horsetrading. You were part of the conspiracy and what are you clarifying now?”

Gehlot insisted his team has proof that Congress lawmakers were being lured into a rebellion against the government. He said the attempts to topple his government have been going on for some time. He added the current crisis would have unfolded earlier had the party not been on guard.

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“Horsetrading was being done in Jaipur; we have the proof. We had to keep people [lawmakers] at a hotel for 10 days...if we had not done that, the same thing that is happening in Manesar now would have happened back then,” Gehlot said, referring to Pilot and 18 legislators, who are staying at a hotel in Haryana’s Manesar.

Gehlot said he has been in politics for 40 years and that he loves the new generation. “The future will be theirs. This new generation... they have become central ministers, state presidents. If they had gone through what we did in our time, they would have worked better,” said Gehlot amid criticism that the Congress’s old guard was not letting younger leaders grow. “Speaking good English or giving bytes is not everything. What do you have in your heart, what commitment do you have, this all is seen.”

Gehlot said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former president Rahul Gandhi and he himself all love young people.

Pilot did not respond to the text messages or phone calls for comments on Gehlot’s charges.

The Congress separately dissolved all district and block party committees in Rajasthan.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said Congress is leveling charges on BJP but they should look at their history, whenever they had been out of power from the centre, the party has disintegrated – from Devraj Urs to Sachin Pilot, the history is repeating. But every time they level charges on BJP and take a sideway out, instead of holding a introspection.

He said the CM repeatedly is speaking of evidence of horse trading since Rajya Sabha polls but haven’t brought in the public. “Who is he trying to threaten? If he has evidence than present it,” he said.

Political analyst Narayan Bareth said Gehlot is party’s strategist and manager in crisis. He is known for cool headed working and loyalist of Congress. He becoming aggressive shows to what extent he was compelled to give such statements. “Gehlot is an organizational man and emotional toward the party, the statements made against the party might have hurt him to speak in such aggressive manner,” he said.