Rajasthan a lesson for BJP, its 'horse-trading' politics defeated: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Kolkata: Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday said the resolution of the Rajasthan political crisis has dealt a blow to the BJP's "horse-trading" politics.
Describing young leaders such as Sachin Pilot as the future of the party, the veteran Congress MP also hailed the political acumen of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for "beating BJP at its own game".
"The Rajasthan episode has destroyed the myth that the BJP and its theatrics cannot be beaten. The horse-trading politics of the BJP has been defeated.
"It was a pleasure to watch BJP shifting its MLAs to other states out of fear that they might switch over to the Congress," Chowdhury told PTI. The BJP can be defeated at their own game and Rajasthan is an example of it, he said.
"Ashok Gehlot's political acumen forced BJP to call for a retreat. I am really happy that Sachin Pilot has returned to Rajasthan. The development proves that we can solve any crisis amicably. Leaders like Sachin Pilot are the future of our party," the member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) said.
Asked whether the resolution of the political impasse in the western state has bolstered Rahul Gandhi's statue in the party as a leader who can manage crises, Chowdhury said he had already proved his abilities during the formation of the government in Karnataka in 2018.
"Rahul Gandhi doesn't need to prove his leadership skills. He proved it during the 2018 Karnataka government formation when he snatched victory from the jaws of the BJP.
It is due to the betrayal of a few people there that we lost power to BJP in 2019," he said. Chowdhury said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi also played a crucial role in resolving the Rajasthan crisis.
Sachin Pilot returned to Jaipur on Tuesday, nearly a month after he rebelled against Gehlot.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
