Rajasthan government crisis: Sachin Pilot in Delhi, seeks time to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has arrived in Delhi to meet party high command and has sought time for a meeting with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, sources said on Sunday.
The sources said that at least a dozen MLAs said to be from Pilot's camp are also staying put in NCR-Delhi region at various places. Pilot had come to Delhi on Saturday.
There is no meeting confirmed between the Congress chief and the Dy CM as of now.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Gehlot called a meeting of his Ministers at his official residence in Jaipur late Saturday and asked all party MLAs to give a letter of support to him. Senior ministers have been roped in this regard.
However, ministers from the Pilot camp did not attend this meeting.
Gehlot, sources said, has spoken with Sonia Gandhi, Rajasthan party affairs incharge Avinash Pandey, and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal to apprise them of developments in his state.
CM Ashok Gehlot on Saturday accused the Centre of trying to topple the Rajasthan government.
Accusing BJP, CM said that the opposition is offering Rs 15 crore to Congress MLAs.
"While during the Corona crisis, the government is working for the people, BJP meantime is causing problems for the people. BJP is constantly trying to topple our government," Gehlot said.
The BJP has rejected all the allegations and has hit back that whatever is going on is the result of Congress infighting centred over the clash between the Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot.
State BJP chief Satish Poonia said, “The BJP has nothing to do with all these allegations. During the Rajya Sabha elections, they had Covid-19 crisis and that is why they are just trying to divert public attention."
Sources said a crisis is brewing within the Rajasthan Congress with deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and his supporting MLAs not sharing good ties with Chief Minister Gehlot.
The flash point between the two top leaders in Rajasthan was a probe ordered by the state police into "poaching" of MLAs and a notice sent to Pilot, which has not gone well with him.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday was the first to go public on the crisis saying he he was worried for the party.
Seeking a quick resolution of the "crisis", he asked when would the party leadership "wake up".
"Worried for our party. Will we wake up only after the horses have bolted from our stables," he said on Twitter.
(With inputs from IANS, PTI, ENS)