In eye of storm, Shanti Dhariwal is known as Gehlot’s man Friday, troubleshooter

Rajasthan minister Shanti Dhariwal is in the eye of the storm after rebel lawmakers gathered at his residence on Sunday instead of attending the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called to pick the next chief minister as Sachin Pilot was widely seen as the top leadership’s choice for the post.

Dhariwal, 78, is known as chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s man Friday and troubleshooter. “If Gehlot has someone to manage the MLAs [members of legislative assembly] and party leaders, it is Dhariwal. He will do whatever Gehlot will say,” said a Congress leader, who has known Dhariwal for 40 years.

Dhariwal also held the important home department portfolio in Gehlot’s second term as the chief minister between 2008 and 2013. Gehlot has said Dhariwal will be a minister again if the Congress returns to power in the next elections.

Over 90 MLAs camped at Dhariwal’s residence opposing the CLP meet called on Sunday evening to pick Gehlot’s successor. A video of Dhariwal asking MLAs not to allow the party high command to remove Gehlot has gone viral.

“If anyone can reap the advantage of the schemes [of the Congress government], it is only Gehlot. If Gehlot is removed, then the next person will not be able to make use of this advantage,” Dhariwal could be heard as saying.

A Gehlot camp MLA said Dhariwal called them on Sunday morning to his house saying some issues have to be discussed before the CLP. “All MLAs were told to be there by 3pm. As we assembled, we realised that the attempt was to prevent the CLP from passing one-line resolution [authorising Sonia Gandhi to pick the next chief minister].”

The MLAs started arriving at Dhariwal’s house on Sunday afternoon. By the evening, their tally crossed 90. The MLAs left the house only to submit a joint resignation to speaker CP Joshi.

Central observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken kept waiting for the MLAs before a Dhariwal-led delegation met them and asked to call the CLP meeting after October 19 when Gehlot was among those likely to be appointed as the next Congress chief.

Maken said the CLP meeting was called on the request of Gehlot, who decided its time and venue. Dhariwal countered the claim and accused Maken of being part of a conspiracy to appoint Pilot as the chief minister. He sought Maken’s removal as Congress’s Rajasthan in charge.

“[Maken] was talking to the MLAs here in a partisan manner. For many days, there were continuous reports that he was campaigning in favour of Pilot. He asked MLAs to join him [Pilot] and we have proof of this,” Dhariwal said.

A Congress functionary said Maken and Kharge would recommend disciplinary action against Dhariwal for engineering the revolt on Gehlot’s behalf. “When a senior minister like Dhariwal acts like us, one can understand on whose behalf he is acting,” said the functionary.

Dhariwal is likely to get a notice from Congress’s disciplinary panel on why action should not be taken against him for breaching the party’s discipline and preventing the CLP meeting.

Maken on Monday said holding the parallel meeting amounted to “indiscipline”. Dhariwal insisted there was no indiscipline and the MLAs were trying to get themselves heard.

Party insiders say Dhariwal used his clout to stall any move to make Pilot the chief minister even if it meant going against the party’s top leadership. “Every word of Dhariwal is considered that to be coming from Gehlot,” a second Congress MLA said. “By doing all this, [he] has once again shown why he is Gehlot’s most trusted aide.”