Shekhawat's remarks prove he tried to topple state govt: Rajasthan CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawats recent remarks over the rebellion against him two years ago prove that he in connivance with Congress leader Sachin Pilot tried to topple the state government.Former state deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs close to him had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, triggering a political crisis in the state.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's recent remarks over the rebellion against him two years ago prove that he in connivance with Congress leader Sachin Pilot tried to topple the state government.

Former state deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs close to him had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, triggering a political crisis in the state. The BJP was accused of the attempt to dislodge the Congress government in the state.

Shekhawat had said at a meeting in Chomu town of Jaipur that Pilot missed the opportunity and had the government changed, water would have reached state areas through the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. Gehlot said Shekhawat’s remarks prove that he was the ''main character'' in the attempt to topple his government.

''Now you are taking the name of Sachin Pilot that he missed (opportunity). You have proved it that you were in connivance with him,'' he told reporters in Sikar. Gehlot was reacting to a court notice to the Union minister on a revision petition filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau, who sought the BJP leader's voice samples in connection with horse-trading allegations. Three audio clips of alleged telephonic conservations had surfaced during the political crisis. It was alleged that Gajendra referred to in the audio clips was Union minister Shekhawat, who tried to topple the state government.

Earlier, a lower court had rejected the anti-graft body’s plea.

Gehlot said the court notice to Shekhawat was issued rather late and Shekhawat kept on saving himself but eventually the notice was issued.

''The minister is saying that if Sachin Pilot had not missed the chance and if the government had changed in Rajasthan, then water would have come (through ERCP) in the state. Can a Union minister speak such a language? What can be more shameful than this,'' he said. Gehlot has been continuously demanding the ERCP to be given the status of a national project. The project is aimed at providing water to 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan.

The chief minister was in Sikar for the unveiling of the statue of former MLA Sanwarmal More and inauguration of a girls college.

Gehlot also said that an atmosphere of violence and mistrust is prevailing in the country and it is not in the interest of the country and democracy. ''The politics of tension is not good for the country. A family which has tension does not move forward and gets ruined. The same thing applies to village, country and state,'' he said. The CM said, ''There is an atmosphere of mistrust and violence. Some people may be happy that bulldozers are running. That bulldozer can also come to your place at any time. He said without conviction by law, one cannot be called guilty. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)