Not held hostage, say 3 MLAS

JAIPUR:THREE legislators from the Sachin Pilot camp, currently lodged at a hotel in Manesar, released video messages on Friday to counter chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party had held them hostage.

“We are not hostage, we are here to voice our dissent to the CM’S style of working,” Congress MLAS Murari Lal Meena, Ved Prakash Solanki, and Suresh Modi said in the video.

Addressing mediapersons in Jaipur earlier in the day, Gehlot said, “Our friends had been held hostage in Gurugram and they are under control of BJP. There are bouncers to prevent their return to Jaipur.”

Meena, Congress MLA from Dausa, said the involvement of anti-corruption bureau and the special operations group in the probe has scared their families. “They are in fear. We are here to tell the high command that we are ignored in the party. We have not left the Congress or joined the BJP,” he said in the video message.

Gehlot, Meena added, was a seasoned politician but he is leveling baseless allegations against the legislators in Haryana.

Solanki, Congress MLA from Chaksu, also said they were not under anyone’s siege. “Some people in Jaipur are making allegation that we have been held hostage; that is wrong, we came here on our own will. As a matter of fact, I took a pass from the collector from travelling outside the state.”

Modi, the third Congress legislator, also denied the allegations that they were being held hostage.

“His [Gehlot] statements against us are undignified. We are here to complain against his style of working,” he said.