Political crisis deepens in Rajasthan, Pilot headed to Delhi?

Jaipur, Sept 27: As a political storm rages in Rajasthan over Congress MLAs skipping the legislature party meeting called by the top leadership and resigning en masse, at least three legislators of the ruling party have reiterated that the high command is supreme and criticized their colleagues who organized a parallel meeting at the house of state Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s confidant Shanti Dhariwal on Sunday.

 

 

 

Leading the clamor of voices against those who attended the meeting at Dhariwal’s home is Osian MLA Divya Maderna who was at Gehlot’s home when the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting was scheduled to be held.

 

 

 

Apart from her, former minister and Khetri MLA Jitendra Singh and Ramnarain Meena from Kota district’s Pipalda have also backed the central leadership. Singh was initially among the MLAs who were at the parallel meeting and submitted his resignation to Speaker CP Joshi. But he made a U-turn on Monday. All three were not among the 18 MLAs loyal to Pilot who had camped in Delhi and Haryana for over a month from July to August 2020 during the former deputy CM’s short-lived rebellion. At the time, they backed Gehlot and stayed in hotels with other Congress legislators supporting the CM. “How can Mahesh Joshi boycott the CLP meeting being a party's chief whip? Now onwards, I will not be taking any directions of party whip from him. He phoned all legislators to come for the CLP and him on the parallel lead anti-party activity at S Dhariwal’s residence,” Maderna tweeted on Monday, targeting Joshi, who was instrumental in organizing the parallel meeting. She added, “This is sheer indiscipline. Mahesh Joshi Ji is thinking he is above Congress's high command. Clearly directing Congress President on what to do & what not to do. High command certainly knows who will strengthen or weaken the party. I don’t think Delhi top brass need his bogus advice (sic).” The 37-year-old Maderna, whose Assembly constituency is in Gehlot’s home district Jodhpur, alleged that Dhariwal was hatching a plot to blackmail the party’s central leadership. Dhariwal has accused the central leader in charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken, of being partial toward Congress leader Sachin Pilot. The high command was said to be in favor of handing over Rajasthan’s reins to Pilot if Gehlot got elected the Congress president but the rebellion by MLAs loyal to the CM has put the party’s plans under a cloud.

 

Also Read: Over 80 Rajasthan Congress MLAs resign 

 

Later speaking to reporters, Maderna said that in 1998 her grandfather Parasram Maderna had the support of the majority of MLAs but Gehlot became the CM because of the intervention of the party’s top brass.