Did BJP help Ashok Gehlot save Rajasthan’s Congress government in 2020? Vasundhara Raje says this
2 min read . Updated: 08 May 2023, 07:23 AM IST
PremiumRajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has credited former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and two other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for having helped him save his government during the 2020 crisis when some Congress MLAs revolted and tried to topple his government
The political climate in Rajasthan has been heating up as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje trade accusations ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Gehlot has credited Raje and two BJP leaders for helping him save his government during the 2020 crisis when some Congress MLAs tried to topple his government, but Raje has countered Gehlot's claims, calling them a conspiracy and saying that he is lying out of fear of losing the elections.
In a public address in Dholpur, Gehlot divulged that the 2020 crisis was conspired by Union Ministers of the BJP government and claimed that Raje, former Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwal, and MLA Shobharani Kushwaha were not in favour of toppling the elected Congress government. Gehlot further accused the BJP of trying to overthrow his government by offering Congress lawmakers bribes.
Gehlot accused Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan and Gajendra Shekhawat of plotting together and spreading money within the Rajasthan government. He suggested that the MLAs who revolted should return the money they had taken from the BJP and promised to provide them with money himself and inform the All India Congress Committee (AICC) but warned them not to take the BJP's money. Gehlot claimed that the BJP took away 25 MLAs, and Amit Shah played a “dangerous game".
Raje responded to Gehlot's accusations, stating that nobody can insult her as much as Gehlot has done and that he is making false allegations because he is rattled by the rebellion in his own party. She added that Gehlot's statement against her is part of a conspiracy.
The feud between Gehlot and Congress leader Sachin Pilot has been ongoing since before the 2020 crisis, with Pilot leading a "rebellion" against Gehlot. Pilot was sacked as deputy CM and removed as state unit chief, and he has recently announced his plan to hold a day-long fast to demand action against cases of alleged corruption during the BJP rule in Rajasthan.
The Congress party has called a meeting to resolve the situation between Gehlot and Pilot, and the fresh crisis has emerged months before the assembly polls in the state due late this year. Pilot is seen as a chief ministerial aspirant, but Gehlot is apparently keen not to hand over the reins of the state to him.