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Playing down the rift with his former deputy Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said such differences crop up in every state but all Congress leaders were not working unitedly to ensure that the party is voted back in the desert state.
In an exclusive interview with ANI on Monday, Chief Minister Gehlot said, "Such differences crop up in every state. There is no question of factionalism in Rajasthan. Everyone is working together to accomplish a common goal, which is to ensure that we return to power in the state. Look at the BJP. They are facing dissent over the distribution of tickets and the selection of candidates. However, there are no such issues in our party as we are all working together to win the elections. Everything will be fine in a day or two. When tickets are allocated to candidates, it is but natural that those who missed out will voice dissent. However, such dissent and internal squabbling are more in the BJP than the Congress. The main gate of BJP headquarters in Jaipur is locked. The Congress has never had to deal with such a situation here." Weighing in on the recent raids carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the state and neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which is also under Congress rule, CM Gehlot said the BJP "crossed all limits" by unleashing central agencies on the Opposition just ahead of the Assembly elections. "They (BJP) have crossed all limits of tolerance. The first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh is scheduled for tomorrow and just four days before that, the ED raided us. My son Vaibhav Gehlot has also been summoned. They are trying to harass Opposition leaders and put us off our poll plans. But they won't succeed in their plans. They have put all three (central) agencies under pressure. We want these institutions to be strong in the interest of the country," CM Gehlot said. He further alleged that the central probe agencies are merely focused on raiding Opposition leaders. "From Nirav Modi to Mehul Choksi, all economic offenders fled the country and are placed comfortably overseas. What have these agencies done to bring them back and face justice? Their only focus is on targeting Opposition leaders and parties," Gehlot said. Rajasthan will go to the polls on November 25, and the counting of votes will take place on December 5, along with those of four other poll-bound states. On the key takeaways of his government over the last five years, Gehlot said for the first time in the state's political history, there is no anti-incumbency. "We have created 3 lakh jobs. Around 2 lakh job interviews are ongoing and recruitment exams are also underway. We have presented a separate budget for farmers in most villages. We have passed many laws. The 7 guarantees in our manifesto are for all sections. This is the first time in the state's history that there is no anti-incumbency against our government. This is a very big achievement for us," he said. Claiming that the Congress was on course to retrurning in Rajasthan, Gehlot said, "I don't want to comment on surveys (opinion polls). I know they (pollsters) are often under pressure to put out misleading projections. But the people are with us. They are ultimate kingmakers in a democracy and we are confident of returning to power. We did a lot of good work during the Covid pandemic as well. Our Bhilwara (Covid management) model was even acknowledged by the WHO (World Health Organisation)." In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member House. Ashok Gehlot eventually took oath as CM with the support of BSP MLAs and independents. (ANI)
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