Gehlot camp leaks tapes featuring Pilot camp MLAs talking about accepting money from BJP

New Delhi: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s camp Thursday leaked to the media a set of audiotapes purportedly featuring Sachin Pilot camp MLAs talking about accepting money from the BJP to topple the government.

One tape allegedly features a conversation between Pilot camp MLAs Bhanwar Lal Sharma, an intermediary and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of the BJP, while another purportedly features another Pilot camp MLA, Vishvendra Singh, speaking to a different intermediary. ThePrint has accessed these tapes but could not verify their authenticity.

Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia said of the tapes: “I have heard about these audiotapes that have been released. But what is the authenticity of these tapes? One has to first get them investigated for authenticity. There is a conversation but what is the reference? One can’t say much from the voice. Whoever has done this is stooping very low.”

ThePrint reached Shekhawat, Singh, and Sharma for a comment through text messages and calls, but there was no response until the time of publishing this report.

What’s on the tapes?

In one of the tapes, Sharma is purportedly heard talking about the 30 MLAs who are supporting Pilot. A source in the Gehlot camp who did not wish to be identified told ThePrint: “In the audio, the Union minister is in touch with MLA Bhanwar Lal through another person. When Bhanwar Lal says that soon he would be able to get the 30 MLAs, the Union minister says this would bring the government down on its knees.”

The source added: “The Union minister can be heard telling Lal to stay in the hotel for at least 8-10 days, as by then, they will be able to get other MLAs from the other camp to join.”

Sharma allegedly talks about “fixing” the amount, and the man who is said to have arranged the call between him and Shekhawat assures him that this was already discussed the previous day and they will take into account his seniority.

“The person who arranged the call between Sharma and the Union minister tells Sharma to ask Sachin Pilot to put Sharma and another person’s name at the top of his list. The person then promises Sharma that he would arrange a one-on-one with the Union minister,” another member of the Gehlot camp told ThePrint.

On another tape, rebel leader Vishvendra Singh of the Pilot camp allegedly says that the first instalment was paid.

“Humaare saathi jo Delhi mein baithe hain, paisa le chuke hain. Pehli kisht pahunch chuki hai (Our cohorts who are sitting in Delhi have taken the money. The first instalment has reached),” Singh purportedly says.

Gehlot’s earlier allegations

Rajasthan CM Gehlot, in an interaction with reporters, had alleged, “Horse trading was being done in Jaipur, we have the proof. We had to keep people at a hotel for 10 days, if we had not done that, the same thing that is happening in Manesar now would have happened back then.”

On Wednesday, 19 “rebel” MLAs, including Pilot, were served notices by assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi, asking them to respond by Friday on a petition filed by the chief whip of Congress. The party Tuesday had also sacked Pilot and two Rajasthan cabinet ministers from their posts.

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