Cong MLA claims Pilot offered money to join BJP; Pilot rubbishes charge as "baseless, vexatious"

Pilot also asserted that he will be taking "appropriate and strictest possible legal action" against MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga who "was made to" level these allegations to stifle the "legitimate concerns" that he has raised against the Congress leadership in the state. In the midst of barrage of accusations, Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG), probing the alleged plot to topple the Ashok Gehlot government, served a notice on Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to appear before the investigation officer when called.

The Rajasthan political drama got murkier on Monday with a Congress MLA sensationally claiming that rebel party leader Sachin Pilot had offered him money to join the BJP, an allegation the former deputy chief minister dismissed as "baseless and vexatious". Pilot also asserted that he will be taking "appropriate and strictest possible legal action" against MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga who "was made to" level these allegations to stifle the "legitimate concerns" that he has raised against the Congress leadership in the state.

In the midst of barrage of accusations, Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG), probing the alleged plot to topple the Ashok Gehlot government, served a notice on Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to appear before the investigation officer when called. The notice was sent to the personal secretary of Shekhawat in connection with the audio tapes of a purported telephonic conversation between a dissident Congress MLA and the Union minister. Shekhawat had earlier denied that he figured in the audio clip and said he is open to a probe. On Monday, he questioned the authenticity of the audio tapes and said, "They (police) should first clarify about authenticity of these tapes. Who recorded it and where did the SOG get it from. Investigation should be carried out to find out if these tapes are genuine or not." Just days after the audio tapes of the purported conversations of dissident MLAs from the Sachin Pilot camp with BJP leaders came out, Malinga made the claim of being offered money, saying that talks were held at Pilot's residence, and subsequently, he had alerted Chief Minister Gehlot about the conspiracy to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan.

"I had a talk with Sachin ji. He offered me money to join the BJP, but I refused, saying I will not join the saffron party," Malinga told reporters in Jaipur. Malinga, however, did not disclose the amount that he was allegedly offered to join the saffron party. Asked if it was between Rs 30 crore and Rs 35 crore, Malinga said he was offered the "going rate". In a statement, Pilot said there will be more such "concocted" allegations and the narrative is being redirected to avoid the main issue, but stressed that he will remain firm on his stand.

"I am saddened but not surprised to be at the receiving end of such baseless and vexatious allegations being levelled against me," he said. "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," he said.

Asserting that the allegations were an attempt to attack his credibility, Pilot said, "the narrative is being redirected to avoid addressing the main issue...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 conviction." Pilot's sharp reaction came hours after Gehlot called him "useless", using the Hindi word "nikamma" in a no-holds-barred attack on his former deputy. Malinga, in his remarks in Jaipur, said he would not join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even after resigning as an MLA.

"How will I face the people of my area? What will I tell them?" he asked. The former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from Badi, along with five other legislators of the Mayawati-led party, was inducted into the Congress in September last year. The lawmakers had handed over affidavits to state Assembly Speaker C P Joshi to merge the legislative party with the Congress.

Last week, in an open revolt, Pilot and 18 other MLAs defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and PCC chief. The showdown came after the Rajasthan police's SOG launched a probe into alleged attempts at horse trading to topple the Gehlot government and issued a notice to Pilot to appear during the investigation. SOG had also given a notice to Gehlot.

Later, the Rajasthan chief minister had alleged that Pilot was part of the conspiracy by the BJP, which denied these allegations and blamed the Gehlot-Pilot power tussle for the Congress' troubles in the state. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan High Court is hearing a plea by Pilot and other rebel MLAs against the disqualification notices issued to them by the Assembly Speaker.

In the 200-member state assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs, including former deputy chief minister Pilot and 18 MLAs loyal to him. Pilot has been upset since the Congress picked Gehlot over him for the chief minister's post, following the December 2018 assembly elections.