Ahead of the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls, trouble continues to mount for Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The six BSP MLAs who had merged with the Congress are playing the hard ball by expressing their resentment against Gehlot in public and not reaching the resort where all Congress legislators from the party are herded.
Their move comes amidst the BJP queering the pitch for the Congress by supporting media baron Subash Chandra’s candidature for the fourth seat from the State.
While the Congress central leadership summoned Gehlot’s arch-rival Sachin Pilot to Delhi, the BSP, which has challenged the merger in Supreme Court, first urged the Governor and Speaker to bar the defected MLAs from voting in the RS polls and later issued a whip asking them to vote for Chandra.
Pilot reached Delhi and briefed the leadership about the latest development as he was camping in Udaipur where the party’s MLAs have been lodged ahead of the crucial polls. Talking to the media there, Pilot claimed the Congress shall win all the three seats.
But the Congress is falling 11 short of the required numbers and would need the support of the BSP MLAs and Independents.
The BJP has supported Chandra as its second candidate for the RS seat which has heightened the worries of the grand old party and thus it has taken its MLAs for political fencing to Udaipur in a resort where last month the party had the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir.
The sudden political rumbling in Rajasthan is due to the six MLAs, who were seen enjoying a safari in Sariska Reserve while the Congress legislators were going for camping in Udaipur. In fact, they are openly speaking about their annoyance with the Congress Government.
Rajendra Gudha, Minister of State for Sainik Kalyan, attacked Chief Minister Gehlot, saying the latter talks a lot but it will be better for him if he sits down and gets “anxious” instead.
He alleged that the Congress did not fulfil the promise made to them. Expressing his displeasure, he said, “It is a fact that the respect that should have been given to us was not given. I don’t know what was their compulsion? Gehlot speaks a lot in the media. Ajay Maken promised us but he did not fulfil it.”
Another BSP turned Congress MLA Wajib Ali raised questions about the stance of the bureaucracy and the lack of action against complaints sent to the Chief Minister. Ali was neither made a minister nor given a political appointment despite coming from BSP to Congress.
This is considered the main reason for his “displeasure”.
Apart from Gudha and Ali, two other BSP-turned-Congress leaders including Lakhan Singh (Karauli MLA) and Sandeep Kumar (Tijara, Alwar) are also yet to reach Udaipur. Also missing are Girraj Singh (Bari, Dholpur) and Khiladi Lal Bairwa (Baseri, Dholpur).
Sources said Chief Minister Gehlot has taken the charge to bring all MLAs to Udaipur.
Ali further has left the Chief Minister red-faced by denying his claim. Gehlot a day earlier had told the media that the Central Government has issued notice to Congress MLA Ali and is threatening the MLAs during the Rajya Sabha elections.
However, Ali refuted Gehlot’s claim. He said till now he has not received any notice from the Central agencies. And even if he gets so (the notice), he is ready for investigation, he asserted.