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Rajasthan political crisis | Rebel MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma makes peace with Ashok Gehlot

Amid signals of the Rajasthan political crisis coming to an end, dissident Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma, who was suspended from the party, met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here on Monday and declared that the State government was safe. He said the tussle in the party was an “internal matter”, which had been resolved.

Mr. Sharma, one of the 18 MLAs supporting ousted Sachin Pilot, said there was no resentment against the party or the Chief Minister. He hoped that all the rebel MLAs would return to Jaipur shortly and the position would be clear by Tuesday.

The seven-time MLA said he had met Mr. Gehlot in connection with work in his constituency, Sardarshahar, and had been assured that all works would be done. He said the Congress was like a family and Mr. Gehlot was its head in the State.

“I expressed my unhappiness earlier on some issues... I don't have any resentment anymore,” Mr Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma's name had emerged during the crisis when some audio tapes of conversations allegedly about toppling the Congress government were leaked. The FIR registered by the Rajasthan police had named him as being involved in the plot to destabilise the government.

The Congress party suspended Mr. Sharma when his purported voice was revealed in the audio tapes. He had then blamed AICC general secretary Avinash Pande for the crisis and said a floor test in the State Assembly would clear the situation.

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