Jaipur: Describing ‘rebel’ Congress leader Sachin Pilot as “nikamma (useless)”, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Monday said never in the history of the Congress has a party chief indulged in toppling his own government.
“Ek chhoti khabar bhi nahin padhi hogi kisine ki (Sachin) Pilot saahab ko Congress pradesh adhyaksh ke pad se hatana chahiye. Hum jante the ki woh (Sachin Pilot) nikamma hai, nakaara hai, kuch kaam nahin kar raha hai, khali logon ko ladva raha hai (You wouldn’t even have read a small piece of news that Pilot should be removed from the post of state Congress president. I knew he was useless and wasn’t doing anything. He was just making people fight,” Gehlot said while interacting with reporters outside hotel Fairmont in Jaipur.
Pilot was removed from the post of Rajasthan Congress chief and as the deputy CM last week after he mounted an open rebellion against the party.
The chief minister alleged that Pilot along with the BJP had been conspiring for the last six months to topple his government.
“Nobody believed me when I used to say that a conspiracy is being hatched to topple the government,” Gehlot said.
“No one could believe that this person could do such a thing. Innocent face, good command over English and Hindi. He has impressed the media across the country. The people of Rajasthan know the truth about how much was his contribution, but we still never questioned him, keeping party interest in mind,” he added.
Also read: BJP behind Rajasthan crisis, Sachin Pilot shouldn’t leave Congress, says Digvijaya Singh
‘Back-stabbed’ Congress
The chief minister also said Pilot got respect from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, but he “back-stabbed” the party.
Commenting on Congress MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga’s allegation that he was offered Rs 35 crore by Pilot to join the BJP, Gehlot said there are several such examples, but the MLAs are not up for sale.
“For the first time in history, it was seen that the president of the party was busy toppling his own party. At the right time, the trick came to the fore, Satyamev Jayate,” he added.
‘This will be suicidal for BJP’
The chief minister further said “some corporates are helping Sachin Pilot”.
“When Congress refused to budge, then Sachin Pilot said that he will create a third front. This is a major conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government. When I received the information, raids were conducted against specific people close to me by several agencies,” Gehlot said.
He added that everyone is aware of the fact that the BJP is playing the game and in the long run, this will be detrimental to the BJP itself. “This will be suicidal for BJP in the next election too,” he added.
Rajasthan plunged into a deep political crisis after Pilot declared an open rebellion against the Congress on 12 July, claiming to have the support of 30 MLAs. He, however, could only prove the support of over 18 legislators the next day.
On 14 July, 19 MLAs, including Pilot, were served disqualification notices by assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi, who asked them to respond by last Friday.
Pilot then moved the high court, challenging the notices, and said it’s an attempt to stifle their voices, which sought a leadership change within the party in the “most democratic manner”.
Also read: Congress’ 1970-style treatment of young leaders won’t work. It can learn from BJP
“Nikamma” seems to have have become a favourite adjective that Congressmen beststow
on each other. Earlier it was Sanjay Nirupam on Milind Deora. Now it is the turn of Ashok Gehlot on Sachin Pilot. But no one in Congress has the guts to give the sobriquet to the one and only person who is truly deserving of it; the entitled middle aged dynast.