Raj min accuses BJP of conspiring to topple govt as crisis escalates in Cong

Amid an ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas alleged on Tuesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party has again started hatching a conspiracy to topple the Congress government.

On the other hand, another minister, Rajendra Singh Gudha, once again endorsed senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot's name for the chief minister's post.

"ED, Income Tax department, Central Bureau of Investigation officials are sitting in Rajasthan. BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) game has started. BJP is again engaged in a conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government," Khachariyawas told reporters in Jaipur.

He said whatever decision the Congress high-command takes as regards the latest political developments in the state will be acceptable to all.

The Congress in Rajasthan plunged into a crisis on Sunday as several MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot resigned over a possible move to appoint Pilot as Gehlot's successor, their rebellion erupting just ahead of a Congress Legislature Party meeting.

Upset over the open rebellion, Congress president Sonia Gandhi sought a written report on it from party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken on Monday as the chances of Gehlot becoming the party chief receded and other names cropped up for the post.

Khachariyawas said the views of the MLAs should be heard. "We have faith in the party leadership. Every Congress worker in the country considers Sonia Gandhi like his mother. A mother always does justice," he added.

Replying to a question on why the Gehlot loyalists held a parallel meeting instead of attending the CLP meet, Khachariyawas said they were not happy when they came to know that someone from the 19 people who had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020 was going to be the chief minister and they submitted their resignation to assembly Speaker CP Joshi.

"Still, whatever our in-charge, leadership, Ashok Gehlotji will decide, we will accept," he added.

The CLP meet was to be held at the chief minister's residence on Sunday night but the MLAs loyal to Gehlot did not attend it. They held a parallel meeting at Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal's bungalow and then went to meet the speaker to submit their resignation letters to him.

All India Congress Committee observer and the party's Rajasthan in-charge, Ajay Maken, who came to attend the CLP meet from Delhi, had said holding a parallel meeting of the MLAs amounted to "indiscipline".

Meanwhile, Gudha supported Pilot for the chief minister's post.

"Whatever decision the high-command takes, we will accept it.... Because he (Pilot) has a network in all the 200 Assembly constituencies, he is a leader of the masses and he is young, we can repeat the government in Rajasthan with him on the post," the minister of state for rural development said.

He said the Congress high-command will end the impasse very soon, adding that if one-on-one meetings are held with all the MLAs, they will say "whatever the high-command says, we will accept it".

Tijara MLA Sandeep Yadav also expressed confidence in the high-command.

"This development is very unfortunate for the Congress during election time. Everyone has the right to express his feelings but after that, the decision of the high-command should be accepted. Everything should be left to the high-command. Whatever it decides, we should accept it and follow it," he said.

On the other hand, Congress MLA from Osian Divya Maderna slammed Dhariwal for "showing defiance" to the high-command.

"He is now blaming Ajay Maken to hide his ill-actions," Maderna said.

She said action should be taken against Dhariwal.