JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for observing "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas" across the country to mark the anniversary of the Emergency, alleging that the saffron party had illegally toppled governments in Congress-ruled states.
Speaking to the media in Jodhpur, Gehlot alleged that senior BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah had conspired to topple his government and had engaged in horse-trading by distributing huge sums of money to MLAs.
“Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the Narendra Modi government conspired to topple the Rajasthan government, but failed. Ours was the only government in the country that they could not overthrow,” Gehlot said.
He further stated, “They changed governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, but could not do so in Rajasthan. These people tried to break our party and distributed money to MLAs. I have proof of this. The situation they created — is this in line with the Constitution? Today, these people are celebrating Constitution Day.”
Referring to the scale of the alleged horse-trading, the former Chief Minister said, “You can’t imagine how much money was distributed to buy MLAs in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Some claim Rs 25 crore, others Rs 35 crore, and some Rs 50 crore. In the case of Maharashtra, one can only imagine the sums. Where is the country headed? How can democracy survive like this?”
Gehlot’s remarks have triggered varied interpretations within political circles. Some experts speculate Gehlot's statements are indirectly aimed at his former deputy and political rival within the party, Sachin Pilot. Pilot had staged a rebellion and shifted to Manesar with supporting MLAs during Gehlot’s tenure. Since then, Gehlot has consistently accused both the BJP and Pilot of plotting to topple his government.
Pilot has recently become active in state politics and held a show of strength on the 25th death anniversary of his father, Rajesh Pilot — an event attended by Gehlot himself. In the wake of these developments, many are drawing different meanings from Gehlot’s latest statement.
Gehlot has been making headline-grabbing remarks over the past two days. On Wednesday, he claimed that a “terrible conspiracy” was underway to remove Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma from office, allegedly by some within the BJP.
Responding sharply to this, CM Sharma said, “Those who have never felt the pain of the common man can’t understand the pain of others.”
Taking a jibe at the former CM, Sharma added, “How can someone who has never suffered, understand the struggles of others?”
