Rajasthan: 'He is rattled by rebellion in his own party', Vasundhara Raje counters Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan: Former Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vasundhara Raje taking a jibe at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that he is lying out of fear of losing the 2023 Assembly elections, addding that his false allegations show he is rattled by the rebellion in state Congress unit.

Recently, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot took a potshot at Vasundhara Raje and two other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for having helped him save his government during the 2020 crisis when some Congress MLAs revolted and tried to topple his government.

"Nobody can insult me as much as Gehlot has done"

Vasundhara Raje said, "Gehlot's statement against me is a conspiracy. Nobody can insult me as much as Gehlot has done. He is lying out of fear of losing the 2023 Assembly elections and has made such false allegations as he is rattled by the rebellion in his own party".

Raje further said that taking and giving bribes are both crimes, if their MLAs have taken money, then FIR should be lodged.

The former CM said, "Ashok Gehlot himself is the mastermind behind it. He did this in 2008 and 2018 as he was in minority. At that time neither BJP nor Congress got majority. If we wanted, we too could have formed the government, but it was against the principles of the BJP. On the contrary, Gehlot formed the government both times by arranging MLAs through his transactions."

Gehlot's statement

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed that former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and two other BJP leaders helped save his government back in 2020 when Sachin Pilot and other party MLAs revolted against the government.

Addressing a programme in Dholpur, Gehlot said his government could be saved because of the support of three BJP leaders -- former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, former assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal and MLA Shobharani Kushwah.

Gehlot's then-deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs revolted against his leadership in July 2020. The month-long crisis ended after the intervention of the party's high command. Pilot was then removed as the deputy chief minister and state Congress president.

(with inputs from ANI)