Gehlot reiterated his commitment towards working for Rajasthan.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday received a hero's welcome at his residence after putting up an impressive performance in the recent Gujarat elections. More than 500 workers and well-wishers thronged his Civil Lines residence to greet him. Gehlot too was visibly happy with the kind of reception he received from partymen. While praising Rahul Gandhi and partymen for Congress' good performance, Gehlot reiterated his commitment towards working for Rajasthan.
"I will be active in Rajasthan till my last breath. I am and will remain active in Rajasthan. I have never gone anywhere...I have always been here with my people," he said. Gehlot's statement has further complicated the leadership riddle in Rajasthan. It has added fuel to the speculation that Gehlot may get a re-look for chief ministership if Congress wins 2018 elections. This has created flutter in the Sachin Pilot camp, which was sighing heave of relief after Gehlot's Gujarat assignment.
"Gehlot has comeback strongly. His equation with Rahul Gandhi has also improved. With Gujarat's performance on his back, he has come into strong contention," said a senior Congress leader. However, leaders of other camp are still convinced that Pilot will ultimately lead the battle.
"Gehlot is a senior leader. We can't ignore him. But then Pilot has performed remarkably well in ruffling feathers of the Raje government. Be it gag ordinance or farmers agitation, Pilot has led Congress to corner BJP on more than half a dozen occasions. Pilot has been able to keep Congress within the striking distance," said a Congress leader.
Meanwhile, Gehlot made a scathing attack on the Raje government for its alleged failures which he terms a misrule for which the voters will pay back in the upcoming bypolls. “The countdown of the government has begun. The people are angry with the NDA government through the country,” said Gehlot, taking a dig on Raje’s Jan Samwad Program which he called a drama.
“The government passed four years in dramas. There is no public hearing by the government to address grievances of the common man. They are just creating a perception (of hearing the grievances). Even the CM’s bond with the people has been broken. She has done a public hearing once in Jaipur. She went to divisional headquarters- Bikaner, Bharatpur and Udaipur and later it was stopped in Kota,” said Gehlot.
The former CM also alleged that the government was suppressing voices of all sections with lathicharge. However, commenting on current doctor’s strike, he has appealed them to continue protest without troubling patients.
"It's the failure of government. Doctors too should not observe strike at the cost of human lives. They can show their discontentment by doing extra work or tying black band," he said.
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