Gehlot wins, says ‘conspiracy’ failed
The trust motion in favour of the Gehlot government was passed by majority Sachin Pilot, who led the rebellion, was seated far away from CM Gehlot
Jaipur, Aug. 14: The Ashok Gehlot government won a confidence vote in the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday, ending the threat triggered by a rebellion within the Congress ranks in the state. But, cracks remain.
The motion of confidence moved by parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal was passed by voice vote, an expected win after the return of the 19 dissident Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot to the party-fold.
In a House of 200, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the support of Independents and allies. The BJP has 72 members. The trust motion in favour of the Gehlot government was later passed by majority.
Mr Gehlot claimed the win as a victory of the people of Rajasthan who had voted for his government, but the changed seating of rebel leader Sachin Pilot, away from the chief minister and close to the Opposition benches, was a sign that the conflict between the veteran leader and the young Gujjar leader is not yet over.
Replying to the debate on the motion, Mr Gehlot criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it again of trying to bring down his government. “What was done in Arunachal Pradesh,
The way BJP had conspired in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, they applied the same technique in Rajasthan, but they have been exposed. — Ashok Gehlot
When I came to the House and found that my seat had been changed, I was wondering why. When I sat there, I felt safe. Now I am next to the Opposition. Then I realised that I have been sent to the sarhad (border). — Sachin Pilot
Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh? Elected governments are being toppled and democracy is under danger,” he said, accusing the BJP of targeting Congress governments.
“I will not let the government topple at any cost even if you make all attempts,” he said, and added that the crisis had come to an end in a “beautiful manner”.
Without taking names, Mr Gehlot alleged that a Union minister was involved in the “conspiracy” to topple his government, saying this had become clear after some audio clips surfaced. The indirect reference was to Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who had earlier rejected the Congress allegation.
The Opposition BJP accused the Gehlot camp of blaming it for the infighting within the Congress.
Mr Pilot, who was deputy chief minister and sat next to Mr Gehlot when he last attended the Assembly, was on Friday seated across the floor, near the Opposition benches. His seat was changed after he was removed as the deputy chief minister.
The seating provoked jeers from the Opposition BJP though Mr Pilot tried to give it a positive spin.
“When I came to the House and found that my seat had been changed, I was wondering why. When I sat there (pointing to the government benches), I felt safe. Now I am next to the Opposition. Then I realised that I have been sent to the sarhad (border). That is because only the bravest and strongest warrior is sent to the border,” quipped Mr Pilot.
During the debate, deputy Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore mentioned Mr Pilot’s name in various matters, including the recent political developments in the state and a Special Operations Group (SOG) notice issued to him.
The notice was sent to Mr Pilot after the Rajasthan Police claimed to have stumbled upon a plot to topple the Congress government. “They are taking my name repeatedly… Many things have been said during the discussion on trust vote and many more will be said. Over time, everything will be revealed,” Mr Pilot said. “But I want to say that whatever I or my companions had to say, we have told the doctor about our complaints... After getting the treatment, all of us today... 125 people are standing in the House,” he said.