Rebel MLA back in Ashok Gehlot fold, claims others will follow suit

JAIPUR: Suspended Rajasthan Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma late Monday became the first of the dissidents from the Sachin Pilot camp to trace his footsteps back to Jaipur, declaring on his return from the rebel fortress in Haryana’s Manesar that CM Ashok Gehlot always was “my leader” and that whatever had happened over the past month was “ghar ka mamala (family matter)”.
Sharma made the announcement after a meeting with Gehlot, capping a day of developments that included Pilot meeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. “I was and am with Congress...The Gehlot government will run its full term of five years. We will cooperate with the government,” he said.
On whether that meant Pilot and his 19-strong band of dissidents was calling a truce with the CM, Sharma said, “He is a big leader. I can’t say about him, but the rest should return.”
Sharma claimed that some more MLAs from the Pilot camp would return to Jaipur overnight. The rest are likely to be back by Tuesday, he said.
But former tourism minister Vishvendra Singh, who was also suspended by Congress for allegedly conspiring to topple the government, tweeted that people may be jumping to conclusions too soon. “Too much is being said too quickly. Too many assumptions, too many rumours and too many factually incorrect stories. Hold your horses everyone! Watch this space for updates!”