The meandering drama that is the Rajasthan Political Crisis does not appear to end any time soon. Late Monday, two Sachin Pilot aides recorded videos expressing ‘shock’ at the statements made by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday, where he called his former deputy a ‘nikamma’.
Former tourism minister Vishvendra Singh appealed to the people not to follow television reports that have addressed a series of audio tapes of Congress leaders close to Pilot negotiating a deal with the BJP to switch party loyalties. “The tapes are doctored. Do not believe everything yu see or hear. The current Congress government has suffocated the state,” Singh said.
Singh added: “I have always worked for the public. I was a cabinet minister till yesterday and today they (Gehlot faction) are trying to scare us through SOG and ACB. I have not done anything that is against the party. I want to tell the public to not be misguided by what is seen and read in the news. They (Gehlot faction) will be proved wrong and we will be proved right.”
Hemram Choudhary, an MLA, who was removed from his position, following the rebellion, added that in the last state election when the Congress was down and out, one man – Sachin Pilot – single-handedly ensured the state victory in 2018. “The chief minister using such names on Pilot is shocking and unbecoming behaviour of a state leader,” he added.
The political tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rebel leader Sachin Pilot continued for the 10th day with no end in sight, even as Gehlot went to the extent of calling him "nikamma aur nakara" (useless and incompetent) and produced a Congress MLA to claim Pilot had tried to give him a huge bribe to change sides.Pilot said he would reply to all of Gehlot's missives once the case filed by him and 18 Congress MLAs in the Rajasthan High Court against attempts to disqualify them is over, as he does not want to prejudice the court in any way.
Meanwhile, state BJP President Satish Poonia said that the political drama playing out in Rajasthan, Congress is both the hero and the villain. “However, accusations are constantly being hurled at the BJP,” he said.
