Opposition BJP hits out at Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for targeting Sachin Pilot
Jaipur, Jun 27: The Rajasthan BJP on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for accusing his former deputy Sachin Pilot of being involved in a conspiracy to dislodge the Congress government in the state.
Former state deputy chief minister Pilot and 18 MLAs close to him had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, triggering a political crisis in the state.
Gehlot had on Saturday said Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's recent remarks over the rebellion against him two years ago prove that he in connivance with Pilot tried to topple the state government.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria claimed that Gehlot is annoyed by the fact that Pilot enjoys widespread public support.
"Sachin Pilot has the support of the people while Gehlot and (parliamentary affairs minister Shanti) Dhariwal do not. Gehlot wants to throw him out so that he can rule like an autocrat," he said.
Kataria's deputy Rajendra Rathore called Pilot Neelkanth (the one with a blue throat), which is another name of Lord Shiva, who consumed a deadly poison for the benefit of living beings.
"Rajasthan's CM and his ministers are crossing the limits of politics of insult. I would like to thank Sachin Pilot for his patience, who was sometimes called useless and sometimes a conspirator, Rathore told reporters in Bharatpur.
He has become Neelkanth. But when Neelkanth spews poison, an earthquake comes. When will that earthquake hit the Congress, I don't know," Rathore said, adding that Pilot's patience should not be tested.
Has anyone stopped the chief minister from taking action against Pilot if he allegedly tried to topple the government in the state? Ever since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has praised Pilot for his patience, the Rajasthan chief minister has become restless. Gehlot is only worried about saving his chair, he added.
Shekhawat had said at a meeting in Chomu town of Jaipur that Pilot missed the opportunity and had the government changed, water would have reached state areas through the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.
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RSS' method is to make personal attacks, did so with Mahatma Gandhi as well: Rahul Gandhi
Araria (Bihar) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that making personal attacks is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's method of targeting anyone and it did so with Mahatma Gandhi as well.
Gandhi made the remarks at an interaction with Mahagathbandhan allies in Bihar, a video of which he posted on his X handle.
In the video, Gandhi is seen having tea at a dhaba here on Sunday with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya, Vikassheel Insaan Party's Mukesh Sahani, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar and Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan.
"The RSS method of attacking is (making) personal attacks. They used to do it with Gandhi ji all the time. People don't know, don't remember the amount of abuse and defamation heaped on him (Gandhi) by the RSS. How much they lied about him, this is their style," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Tushar Gandhi said that earlier debates used to be very strong and heated, but there was never personal abuse. "Now it has been legitimised," he said, to which Yadav added that it has started to happen after 2014.
"They abused Karpoori Thakur ji and then had to give him a Bharat Ratna," Yadav said.
Talking about the alleged "vote chori", Yadav said people would earlier say that they cast their vote but when the results came, they did not know where their vote had gone.
"Now, these things that are coming out with evidence and facts, people now know that theft is happening. The approach that the Election Commission has taken, people have got the message that the two (EC and the BJP) are in collusion. What (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji is saying, the Election commissioner is doing," the RJD leader said.
Echoing similar views, Sahani said that the people felt they voted for the INDIA bloc, but the result was opposite.
"Now that you (Rahul Gandhi) have brought out the facts, people know that something is wrong and Modi ji is doing some 'hera pheri'. Their (BJP's) voters have also started to believe so," the chief of VIP said.
Sahani and the Congress' Kumar and Khan hailed the Voter Adhikar Yatra and the enthusiasm among the people.
"People earlier never used to hit the road at 8 in the morning and we have also not done that, but it is happening here," Sahani said.
Posting the video of the interaction, Rahul Gandhi said on X, "Yatra, vote chori, and Gandhi ji -- a lively political discussion over hot tea and pakoras with coalition partners."
Gandhi launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra, supported by all Mahagathbandhan constituents, against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The 16-day yatra, which began on August 17 from Sasaram, will conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1 before covering over 1,300 km across the state, where assembly elections are due later this year.
The yatra has so far covered Gayaji, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Katihar and Purnea districts. Further, it will pass through Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, West Champaran, Saran, Bhojpur and Patna districts.
