JAIPUR: With infighting in Congress deepening in Rajasthan, Independent legislators in the state publicly reiterated their faith in the leadership of chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday.
The legislators convened a meeting here as Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot’s supporters have been sparring since the past fortnight over long pending cabinet expansion and political appointments in the state.
Of the 13 Independent legislators, 12 attended the meeting, as MLA Baljeet Yadav could not reach.
The Independents said “all attempts to destabilise the state government would be given a befitting reply as was done after Pilot’s revolt last July.” “It is the prerogative of the chief minister to decide when to expand his cabinet and who should be included.
It is not in the interest of the people of Rajasthan to dictate terms to him and make a practise of exerting pressure.
This meeting leaves it to the CM to take a call on every issue,” Sanyam Lodha, Independent MLA from Sirohi, said at a press conference after the meeting at the Circuit House.
“Sachin has been fortunate to be born in the family of a leader like Rajesh Pilot.
He got everything at a young age,” said Lodha.
“He never tasted defeat in life.
It (defeat) happened with him for the first time on the issue of being the CM and then for the second time (during the rebellion).
He will take time to learn,” said Lodha.
Replying to the charge that he was getting restless to be a minister, Lodha said, “We are people who swept floors for Congress and pasted posters for NSUI.
If Sonia Gandhiji tells us to work as legislators, none of us will demand anything.
We are ready to make all kinds of sacrifices.” Of the 13 Independents, 12 are Congress rebels.
In response to Pilot camp’s charge that Congress did not seek Independents’ support as they were party rebels, Lodha said “Soon after the state election, the AICC and the state leadership contacted us.
We were made associate members of Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The Rajasthan government got into a crisis after that.
They (Pilot supporters) are no one to question us.” The meeting was earlier tipped to include six BSP-turned-Congress legislators too, but they were later dropped as it would have depicted these MLAs as separate from the Congress.
Still, Rajendra Gudha, one of the six MLAs, reached the meeting’s original venue, Hotel Jaipur Ashoka, a RTDC property.
Gudha’s presence was objected to by a couple of independent MLAs and the meeting venue was hurriedly shifted to the Circuit House.
Lodha said the meeting was convened to ask for improving governance in the state, filling posts of patwaris and gram-sevaks immediately and initiating a process to regularise contractual employees.
“We urge all non-BJP parties to unite and launch an agitation against the Centre to protest rising prices of cooking gas, diesel and petrol.
We demand PM Narendra Modi to fill 15 lakh posts in the government of India.
Congratulating CM Gehlot for best covid management in Rajasthan, we express full faith in his leadership,” the MLA said.