Congress MLA alleges Vasundhara Raje link to horse-trading agent

Jaipur, July 19: Congress MLA Rajendra Guda on Sunday alleged that Sanjay Jain, who is among the accused in the ongoing investigation into horse-trading in Rajasthan, had contacted him about eight months ago to ask him to meet former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

"Sanjay Jain (arrested by SOG, Rajasthan Police) had come to me eight months back. He had asked me to meet Vasundhara ji and others. There are other agents like him but they didn't succeed in their attempts. Sanjay Jain had been active for a long time. At that time Jain was asking me to join the BJP," the Congress MLA told ANI.

"BJP's game plan was going on for long time. Eight months ago, he had come to me asking to meet Vasundhara Raje and other BJP leaders. Their people and middlemen were active but they could not succeed in their attempts," Gudha told reporters here.

Jain's name had surfaced in one of the viral audio recordings in which he is heard about horse-trading of legislators to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. Special Operations Group of Rajasthan police has arrested Jain.

Raje, who has been mum on the Congress crisis, said there is "no point in trying to drag the BJP and BJP leaders' names through the mud," when the state is suffering from the coronavirus and the locust crisis.

The Congress has absolute majority in the Rajasthan assembly, the party asserted on Sunday, a day ahead of a Rajasthan High Court hearing on its rebel MLAs' petitions challenging disqualification notices by the speaker.

The Congress also did not rule out the possibility that an assembly session could be convened, even as party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying it is the prerogative of the state cabinet and the chief minister, and "they will decide appropriately".

The Congress is mulling convening a session of the state assembly to checkmate rebel party MLAs, who are led by Sachin Pilot, in voting in favour of the government in the House or face disqualification

Congress claimed to have the support of 109 MLAs in the 200-member assembly.