'We're both assets to party': Ashok Gehlot after Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Rajasthan power tussle
Jaipur, Nov 29: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called both Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot assets to the party, the CM on Tuesday suggested that the matter rests there.
"When Rahul Gandhi has said that our leaders are assets then we are assets... where is the dispute then," Gehlot said when asked about the former party president's observation.
Gehlot's remarks were in sharp contrast to the interview he gave last week to NDTV, calling Pilot, with whom he is caught in a tussle for power, a "traitor".
Asked to comment, Gandhi had told reporters in Indore on Monday that both leaders were assets to the party.
Last week's jibe by Gehlot and a sharp response from Pilot came just days before Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to enter Rajasthan.
"This is the beauty of our party that after our top leader says anything, there is no scope (for further argument)," Gehlot told reporters here before attending a party meeting to review preparations for the yatra.
Gehlot and Pilot greeted each other in the "war room" set up for the yatra. All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal and state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra were among the leaders who attended the meeting.
The CM said all together will together make the yatra a success in the state.
"Rahul Gandhi also meant that every party worker is an asset," he said.
Gehlot on Thursday told NDTV that Pilot is a 'ghaddar' (traitor) who cannot replace him as he had revolted against the Congress in 2020, and tried to topple the state government. In response, Pilot said such "mud-slinging" would not help.
The CM told reporters here that the main issue before the party is the 2023 assembly election, and claimed that the mood is in the favour of the Congress.
"We will win the assembly elections. We have introduced several unique schemes and programmes which are benefitting people across the state. I get an overwhelming response from people when I go on visits. It means that the government is going to be repeated," he said.
Targeting the BJP, Gehlot said that the party should bother about itself instead of commenting on the Congress.
On reports of NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery's concern over the revival of the Old Pension Scheme, the CM said the NITI Aayog or the Reserve Bank of India should first tell what concerns they had raised at the time of demonetisation.
He said the old scheme for government employees was revived in the state for social security.
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Saif Ali Khan’s attacker allegedly let in by house help, Police investigate
Mumbai: Mumbai Police suspect that the attacker who stabbed actor Saif Ali Khan six times during an alleged burglary attempt was let into his Bandra residence by one of his house helps. The house help is currently under scrutiny as police investigate the incident. The 54-year-old actor, who sustained injuries, including one near his spine, has undergone surgery at Lilavati Hospital and is reportedly out of danger.
The attack occurred late at night, and preliminary investigations suggest the assailant may have entered the premises hours earlier and waited for an opportunity to strike. CCTV footage from the residence did not capture any recent entry, strengthening the suspicion that the attacker was assisted by someone inside.
Police reported that the incident began as a scuffle during the burglary attempt. “An unidentified person intruded into the residence of Actor Saif Ali Khan. The actor and the intruder had a scuffle. The actor is injured and is being treated. Investigation is ongoing,” officials said.
The attack has raised questions about security in Mumbai’s high-profile areas. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the state government, highlighting similar incidents such as the murder of Baba Siddique and the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence. “If celebrities in Bandra are not safe, who in Mumbai is? This is a serious failure of law and order,” she said.
Actor Pooja Bhatt also expressed concerns, urging authorities to address the issue urgently. “Can this lawlessness please be curbed? Bandra has never felt so unsafe before,” she tweeted, tagging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior officials.
Police are now focused on identifying the attacker, who fled the scene, and examining the possible role of the house help in the incident.
