India
Rajasthan is witnessing a magnifying political crisis as Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has rebelled against the Ashok Gehlot-led government over 'being sidelined'.
Updated : Jul 15, 2020, 12:04 AM IST
Rajasthan is witnessing a magnifying political crisis as Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has rebelled against the Ashok Gehlot-led government over 'being sidelined'. Currently, the Congress government in the state is staring at a crisis as Pilot is most likely to quit the party along with some of his loyalist MLAs.
On late Monday night, the camp belonging to the state's Deputy Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot, released a video of around 15 loyalist MLAs sitting together at a hotel in Haryana's Manesar. Although Sachin Pilot is not seen in the video, some of the legislators in the clip have their faces turned towards the camera. Congress MLAs such as Inder Raj Gurjar, PR Meena, GR Khatana, and Harish Meena can be seen in the video. The 10-second video clip presumably sends a direct and strong message to the Congress leadership that Sachin Pilot is not in a mood to relent and that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will have to face some harsh days ahead in order to safeguard his government.
In the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting held earlier on Monday morning at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence, around 12 Congress MLAs were missing. After the meeting, Congress estimated that Gehlot's government has the support of 106 MLAs.
Following that, the grand old party moved its MLAs to a resort to keep out of the reach of the BJP, claiming that the saffron camp is trying to bribe legislators in order to 'destabilize' the Gehlot-led government in the state.
So far, the Gehlot government had the support of 123 MLAs, including 107 Congress MLAs, 2 MLAs of Bharatiya Tribal Party, one RLD MLA, and 13 Independents, but of these 123 MLAs, he is now left with only 101 MLAs. Out of the 22 rebel MLAs, Sachin Pilot has claimed the support of 19 Congress MLAs and 3 Independents.
In Rajasthan's total 200 assembly seats, 101 MLAs are needed to save the government, but two MLAs of the Indian Tribal Party have also pulled out of the Gehlot government, which currently has the support of merely 99 legislators. But what is more worrying for Ashok Gehlot is that among the remaining 99 MLAs, several are claimed to be of Sachin Pilot's camp.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot holds a meeting of the state cabinet, Council of Ministers
#Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, along with state ministers, leave from Fairmont Hotel for his residence.
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
State cabinet meeting to be held at CM's residence at 7:30 pm and meeting of Council of Ministers at 8:00 pm today. pic.twitter.com/Y7rsjjkkbD
Sachin Pilot changes his bio on Twitter after being removed as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress unit chief.
Sachin Pilot changes his bio on Twitter (pic 1) after being removed as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress unit chief (Pic 2: earlier Twitter bio). pic.twitter.com/ro3UWqOdvN
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot's nameplate removed from Congress headquarter in Jaipur after he was removed as Deputy CM and PCC Chief, Govind Singh Dotasra appointed as state unit chief.
Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot's nameplate removed from Congress headquarter in Jaipur after he was removed as Deputy CM and PCC Chief, Govind Singh Dotasra appointed as state unit chief. pic.twitter.com/m0Nzd6iSD3
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
Rajasthan: CM Ashok Gehlot meets Governor Kalraj Mishra, at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur.
Rajasthan: CM Ashok Gehlot meets Governor Kalraj Mishra, at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/uyhOmreLZC
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
I regret that Sachin Pilot and some of his associates have been swayed by BJP's plot and are now conspiring to topple the Congress govt elected by 8 crore Rajasthanis. It is unacceptable: RS Surjewala, Congress
#WATCH: I regret that Sachin Pilot and some of his associates have been swayed by BJP's plot and are now conspiring to topple the Congress govt elected by 8 crore Rajasthanis. It is unacceptable: RS Surjewala, Congress #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/yopWWJ32Cg
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
Rajasthan: Inside visuals of MLAs attending the ongoing Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.
As per sources, 102 MLAs are present & have unanimously demanded that Sachin Pilot should be removed from the party.
#WATCH Rajasthan: Inside visuals of MLAs attending the ongoing Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
As per sources, 102 MLAs are present & have unanimously demanded that Sachin Pilot should be removed from the party. pic.twitter.com/FZxIUYVgq7
102 MLAs present at the ongoing Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur have unanimously demanded that Sachin Pilot should be removed from the party: Sources.
102 MLAs present at the ongoing Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur have unanimously demanded that Sachin Pilot should be removed from the party: Sources. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/g6b3TNO5uC
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
Rajasthan: Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting underway at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.
Rajasthan: Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting underway at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/E15xlSSxuS
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
Rajasthan: Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting begins at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.
Rajasthan: Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting begins at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/YIeLQMVl3H
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
BJP's attempts at destabilizing the Gehlot government won't be successful, said senior Congress leader PL Punia. He claimed that the remaining MLAs who did not attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting held on Monday will also return to the party fold.
"It is very clear that BJP is trying to destabilize the government in Rajasthan. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has himself said that the BJP has crossed all the limits. 28 MLAs have given privilege motion against BJP due to their attempts. Congress`s 107 MLAs were present and the rest of them will also come so the attempt at destabilizing the government won`t be successful. It has failed," said Punia.
We are giving a second chance to Sachin Pilot and asked him to attend today’s CLP meet. I hope today all MLAs come and give solidarity to the leadership, for which the people of Rajasthan voted. We all want to work for the development of the state, said Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi calls Sachin Pilot one of the most ‘talented, competent & impressive’ Congress leaders.
“I consider Sachin Pilot as one of the most talented, competent, and impressive Congressmen we have. He is a friend also. We all value him at the party. He should come and air his grievances, the floor is open. All people are prepared to listen to him,” Singhvi told news agency ANI through videoconferencing.
In what comes as more headache for the Congress amid the intensifying Rajasthan Political Crisis, the camp belonging to the state's Deputy Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot, on late Monday night released a video of around 15 loyalist MLAs sitting together at a hotel in Haryana's Manesar.
#Family pic.twitter.com/vZqysIFgvn
— Vishvendra Singh Bharatpur (@vishvendrabtp) July 13, 2020
Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot's revolt against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has set the alarm bell ringing for the Congress, which held a legislature party meeting in Jaipur on Monday and decided to hold another meeting on Tuesday to placate Pilot and woo back the MLAs who are loyal to the young leader.