‘There are indications of a commotion within BJP’

Rajasthan chief Vasundhara Raje should step down, said senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, alleging that Raje’s Dholpur Palace deal and heritage haveli sell-offs in Jaipur also involved Modi money. A thorough probe would establish that, he said in an interview with Sachin Saini. Excerpts: You raised the issue of Raje favouring Modi earlier too. What is your take now? Things get clear when you seek answer to one question — Why did she (Raje) sign the affidavit (favouring cricket tycoon Lalit Modi, who faced a number of corruption charges linked to his stint as the IPL chief)? Was she under some pressure? Even during her earlier chief ministerial stint, she allowed Modi’s interference in official transfers and postings despite our objections. (The party leadership) will have to take a decision on Raje today or tomorrow. What does the Dholpur Palace and heritage havelis got to

do with Lalit Modi? Dholpur Palace is Raje’s ancestral property. It was converted into a seven-star hotel in 2008. It is now being run by Niyant Heritage Hotel Private Limited (run by Raje’s son, Dushyant

Singh). How do you view BJP’s silence on the Lalit-Raje issue? It is mysterious. Narendra Modi won the Lok Sabha elections on the prom- ise of fighting corruption. At present, there is a huge commotion inside the BJP. Yashwant Sinha’s “all above 75 are brain dead”, LK Advani’s ‘emergency is still a possibility’ and Kirti Azad’s ‘asteen ka saanp’ comments are all indicators. Your take on Rajnath Singh’s ‘no resignations’ statement? Such statements only show that these people have no faith in democracy. Everything is in the open — the documents, the money transfer, a signed document of Raje (and yet such a rigid stand).