Rajasthan BJP leaders criticized Ashok Gehlot's remarks on the 2022 Congress turmoil. Gehlot alleged a 'conspiracy' defamed him and prevented his elevation to Congress President, denying he orchestrated a revolt to remain as CM.
BJP Launches Attack on Gehlot
Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore on Sunday launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after he reignited discussion surrounding the internal Congress party turmoil of 2022 over his 'potential elevation' to the post of Congress President. Speaking to ANI, Rathore dismissed Gehlot's claims as a desperate attempt to remain relevant, stating, "He keeps making statements just to stay in the headlines. On one hand, he constantly makes statements against Sachin Pilot. At times, he tries to prove their friendship. But posing for a photo doesn't mean they are united in spirit. He tries to portray him as a wayward child."
Rajasthan Minister Jogaram Patel joined the criticism, questioning the timing and sincerity of Gehlot's allegations regarding a conspiracy. "Whenever Sachin Pilot's name is proposed for a prestigious position, and a possibility arises, Ashok Gehlot repeats the story about being confined in a hotel and openly accuses him of conspiring with the BJP to split the party," Patel said. He further challenged the former CM, asking, "If such an incident actually occurred during his tenure, why hasn't he filed a case to date? He (Ashok Gehlot) has himself been sidelined within his party, which is why he has developed a habit of making such baseless statements."
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla framed Gehlot's remarks as a "direct attack" on the current Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge, due to his role as the observer in 2022. "This statement by Ashok Gehlot carries significant implications; Mallikarjun Kharge was one of the observers whom he described as conspirators who arrived unexpectedly. This clearly indicates that he is now targeting Mallikarjun Kharge indirectly. The party appears to be splintering everywhere. This is a direct attack on Mallikarjun Kharge; it is now up to the Congress to explain the situation."
Gehlot Blames 'Big Conspiracy'
Gehlot, who was considered a frontrunner for the party's top post in 2022 before the eventual election of Mallikarjun Kharge, earlier today said that reignited the presidential election debate within Congress of 2022, in which Gehlot, who was seen as a frontrunner to take over as Congress chief, was seen to have preferred state politics. He has said that if Sonia Gandhi and the Congress had made him the Congress President, would he have refused?
Gehlot's remarks, coming almost four years after a show of strength in Jaipur in the presence of AICC observers, led to the central leadership giving up plans to bring a leadership change in Rajasthan ahead of the 2023 assembly polls. "I know the stature of the Congress President's post.. (Mahatma) Gandhiji has been President, Pandit Nehru, and Motilal Nehru have been President, who hasn't been? Sardar Patel has been the party's President. If Sonia Gandhi and the Congress were making me the Congress President, would I have refused? The situation was created, which I think was a big conspiracy. The observers arrived suddenly, and I got defamed. People think that Ashok Gehlot wanted to remain Chief Minister and did not want to become Congress President, so the revolt happened," he told reporters.
"Even people close to me abroad also think the same that Ashok Gehlot wanted to remain Chief Minister; he orchestrated the revolt. How can I explain to them what I am explaining to you? If even now something good comes, you do what I have told you," he added Sonia Gandhi was the interim president of the party in 2022. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge was eventually elected as party chief in October 2022 and is set to be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha later this month. He defeated Shashi Tharoor in the election.
Gehlot also spoke about apparent efforts to replace him with party leader Sachin Pilot as Chief Minister. "People feel that I wanted to be CM and I orchestrated the revolt. The media spread it. I stayed quiet. I stayed quiet as I had to tell Soniaji that, whether it was a revolt against Pilot or whatever, I don't have anything (to do). I was the leader of the legislative party, observers from AICC had come. Coming of AICC observers has significance. It was Kharge Sahab or Ajay Makenji and I couldn't get the resolution passed," Gehlot said. "Although I had said at night to end the meeting for now and we would talk after calling another meeting tomorrow. That situation did not arise for us... so it... so that... didn't happen... the resolution couldn't be passed. I went and expressed my regrets before Madam, party has given me everything, this situation arose so I am apologising...," he added.
Recalling the 2022 Rajasthan Congress Crisis
The political turmoil in the Rajasthan Congress in April 2022 led to Mallkarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, who were AICC observers, filing a report to the party leadership. The Gehlot camp MLAs had "refused to hold a one-to-one meeting with them".Kharge had said in April 2022 that they arrived in Delhi after meeting three MLAs in Jaipur."We are going to give our report to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi," said Ajay Maken ahead of his meeting with Congress's interim president.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, after arriving in Delhi from Jaipur said the decision will be taken by Sonia Gandhi after they submit the report."We are going to 10, Janpath and will meet Sonia Gandhi. We will apprise her about the events (about the Rajasthan Congress crisis). She will eventually take the decision on it," he had said.
Maken had met with three members from the Gehlot camp - Shanti Dhariwal, CP Joshi and Pratap Khachriyawas who had put forward three proposals. Later, after the meeting, Maken told the reporters that the three MLAs forwarded three proposals, which they did not accept, as it raised a conflict of interest.
Their first proposal was to announce the implementation of the resolution of handing over the final responsibility of appointing the chief minister to the Congress high command and to pass it after October 19. "We told them that this raises a conflict of interest, as if Gehlot is elected as the Congress president, then this proposal will empower him further after October 19, and there can be no bigger conflict of interest than this, so we did not do this," Maken said.
He also said that their second condition was that they wanted to come in groups, and when we said that we wanted to talk to each of them individually, as it has been a practice of the Congress to take feedback from each leader. "However, they did not accept this."
"Their third condition was that the chief minister should be picked from the 102 MLAs who were loyal to CM Gehlot and not from the Pilot group," Maken said. He said that "the three Gehlot camp supporters insisted on us meeting their three conditions and we told them that their exact sentiments will be conveyed to Congress chief, who will take the decision after talking to CM Ashok Gehlot and everyone else."
"We waited for more MLAs to come, but they didn't come. Now Mallikarjun Kharge and I are going to Delhi to submit our report to the Congress president," said Maken. Nobody has any idea about the number and the identities of the MLAs who have resigned or not, he said.
A legislative party meeting was scheduled at the residence of Gehlot in the presence of the observers, which was to be attended by Sachin Pilot and his camp MLAs. However, the Gehlot loyalists had held a meeting with Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal at his residence, following which over 90 MLAs had submitted their resignations to Speaker CP Joshi. Pilot was seen as the successor of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was set to contest the Congress president election scheduled on October 17. The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister had conducted a second round of meetings with the AICC observers. The Gehlot loyalists apparently wanted someone from their own camp to be chosen as the next Chief Minister, instead of Pilot, who, according to them, had revolted against his own party back in 2020. (ANI)
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