Raj CM calls Sachin names, Cong MLA claims Pilot offered him money to join BJP; Pilot says allegations concocted, vexatious
Rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday was subjected to a fierce personal attack by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot while a Congress MLA leveled the sensational charge that Pilot tried to lure him to join the BJP for Rs 35 crore. The mud-slinging has given clear indication that the Congress has finally decided to shut its door on Pilot.
For the first time since he went “traceless’ more than a week ago after plotting a coup against his own Government in Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot also had something to say on record on Monday. The rebel leader issued a statement denying charges of attempt to pay off a Congress MLA Rs 35 crore to join the BJP and also fended off a “nikamma” barb hurled at him by his bête noire Ashok Gehlot.
“I’m saddened but not surprised to be at the receiving end of such baseless and vexatious allegations being levelled against me,” Pilot said.
Continuing to target Pilot on daily basis, Gehlot alleged that he (Pilot) played a dirty game and conspired to topple his own Government. Amid allegations that Pilot tried to lure MLAs to join the BJP, the CM said there will be few instances where the State unit president of any political party tried to topple his own party Government.
“He played a very dirty game and conspired to please the BJP,” Gehlot said.
This sharp attack came even though top leadership of the Congress, including chief Sonia Gandhi, had advised Gehlot not to foul-mouth Pilot in public. This may be the end of the road for Pilot in the Congress despite the fact that he has kept a channel of communication open with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Sources in the AICC said now after so much mudslinging and accusation leveled by a Congress MLA that Pilot offered him huge money to join the BJP, the writing on the wall is clear that Pilot will be eventually sacked from the party.
Meanwhile, the BJP Central leadership has swung into action and is exploring the possibility of the formation of Government in the State.
BJP national vice president Om Mathur met party president JP Nadda at the party headquarters in Delhi on Monday. Sources said among other issues, they also discussed the political situation in Rajasthan.
Sources said the party is deliberating on how to bring on board former Rajasthan CM and the tallest leader of the State, Vasundhara Raje Scindia.
Addressing the media in Jaipur, Gehlot said he knew that his former deputy Sachin Pilot was “good for nothing”. “I knew that he was useless, good for nothing, and was only there to instigate people to fight. I am not here to sell vegetables, I am the CM,” Gehlot said.
Gehlot described his former Cabinet colleague and State PCC chief as a ‘nikamma’ (worthless) person, ‘nakara’ (doing nothing), but said he raised no question over it in the party’s interest.
Gehlot said he “used to talk about conspiracy to topple his Government but nobody believed that he (Pilot), having an innocent face, good command over English and Hindi and influence over the media across the country, can do this”.
“Rajasthan is the only State where no demand was raised to change the PCC president in seven years. We knew that nothing is happening here. We knew he is ‘nikamma’ (worthless) and ‘nakara’ (idle), still we did not question this in the interest of the party,” Gehlot told reporters.
“Never in the history of India would I ever hear that the head of a party conspired to topple its own Government. I have never heard of this till date,” Gehlot said.
But what came as a big surprise on a day when the Rajasthan political battle was being taken up in the High Court was the Congress MLA Giriraj Singh alleging that he was offered Rs 35 crores by former the Deputy Chief Minister.
Giriraj said Sachin Pilot offered him Rs 35 crore to switch from the Congress to the BJP but he refused. The incident took place in December and again before the Rajasthan Rajya Sabha elections, the party legislator stated.
Reacting to Giriraj’s allegations, Pilot said he will be taking appropriate and strictest possible legal action against the MLA who was made to make these accusations.
“I am sure more such concocted allegations will be thrown at me to cause aspersions on my public image. But I shall be unfettered and remain firm in my beliefs and convictions,” Sachin Pilot said.
“I am saddened but not surprised to be at the receiving end of such baseless and vexatious allegations being leveled against me. This is done solely to malign me and to stifle the legitimate concerns that I had raised against the party leadership of the State, as a member and MLA of INC. This attempt further aims at defaming me and attack my credibility. The narrative is being redirected to avoid addressing the main issue,” Pilot said.
Gehlot also stated that some corporates are helping rebel Pilot. “The BJP is playing the game everyone knows. When the Congress refused to budge then Pilot said that he will create a third front. This is a big conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan Government. When I received the information, raids were conducted for specific people,” said Gehlot.
Talking on the present situation of legislators, Gehlot said while Congress MLAs are staying without any restrictions but the BJP has held its MLAs captive, who are now calling us and crying over the phone while explaining their ordeal. Their personal mobile phones have also been snatched. Some of them want to join us, Gehlot said.
On the other hand Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat questioned the authenticity of the audio clips, cited by the Congress to allege his involvement in a purported bid to topple the Rajasthan Government, and sought to know its source and how the State police got it. The Rajasthan Police SOG, which is probing the case, had earlier sent a notice to Shekhawat, asking him to give his voice sample and record his statement while the Congress has demanded the resignation of the Union Minister.