The political crisis in Rajasthan Congress is not a “rebellion”, but just a “message”, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Minister and CM Ashok Gehlot loyalist told CNN-News18.
As the CM’s name started to do the rounds for the post of Congress president, on Sunday, 90 Gehlot loyalist MLAs submitted their resignations to Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi over a possible move to appoint deputy CM Sachin Pilot as the next CM. The resignations came shortly before the MLAs were scheduled to attend the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at 7 pm.
The meeting was delayed indefinitely, even though about 28 MLAs, including Pilot and some of his loyalists and neutral MLAs, reached the CM’s residence for the meeting. The Gehlot camp, meanwhile, met at Rajasthan cabinet minister Shanti Dhariwal’s residence.
The resignation by the MLAs brings down the strength of the Rajasthan Assembly to 108, where the halfway mark will be 55. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 70 MLAs in the House.
The party then asked All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge to submit a written report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. While Maken on Tuesday said Gandhi was briefed on the matter, Khachariyawas said it was their “internal matter”.
“We are 102 MLAs. We have given a message that we were there to save the government. We just want that one among us should be chosen for the CM’s post. Can’t we demand anything from our leaders,” he asked.
We are 102 MLAs. We have given a message that we were there to save the government. We just want that one among us should be chosen for the CM’s post. Can’t we demand anything from our leaders? This is not such a big case that the party has to think about action. It?s not a rebellion. We, at no cost, are going to accept a CM from those 19 [Pilot camp]. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are our leaders.
Elaborating further, he said, “This is not such a big case that the party has to think about action. It?s not a rebellion. We, at no cost, are going to accept a CM from those 19 [Pilot camp]. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are our leaders. There is no doubt about it. It was our anger, and we have shown it to our party high command.”
About the “individual meetings with MLAs”, he said, “We were ready. They could have met us in a group and then individually.”
#Exclusive on #RajasthanCongressCrisis 'I will always be faithful to Gandhis, there is no rebellion against Congress' top brass. #AshokGehlot is irreplaceable': @PSKhachariyawas, Rajasthan Minister#Rajasthan #RajasthanPolitics | @kaidensharmaa pic.twitter.com/BPNbeyf1H5
? News18 (@CNNnews18) September 26, 2022
After the meeting, Dhariwal had said all MLAs told him that a “loyal Congress member” from the 102 people should be selected for the CM post. “Any of those 102 MLAs selected by Sonia Gandhi for CM post will be accepted by all. MLAs of Rajasthan will not sit through and tolerate traitors being rewarded,? Dhariwal said, in an attack on Maken.
Commenting on it, Khachariyawas said: “No doubt that it was discussed in the meeting of MLAs. I won’t lie. Yes, it was discussed.”
When asked if Pilot was not a “Congressi”, he said: “Yes, he is very much here in the Congress, but you journalists try to stretch it.”
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