Congress workers ready to spill blood to save govt: Gehlot loyalist

Jaipur, Sep 26: Amid a deepening political crisis in Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot loyalists on Monday said that the Congress workers are attempting to save their party and have to be prepared to "spill blood on the roads" against the BJP which he alleged, wants to "topple" the state government.

"The BJP wants to topple the Rajasthan government. I have told Ashok Gehlot that it is important to save the government, you have to perform witchcraft. The BJP will eye Rajasthan to divert attention from inflation. They did it in Maharashtra. If we don't respond with courage, there will be fights on the streets," state cabinet Minister Pratap Khachariya was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"The Congress workers will have to spill blood on the roads. I had said it earlier to Gehlot that the BJP is prepared and there is a conspiracy underway against the government, he said.

He said the party workers will hit the streets of Rajasthan when central agencies are sent to the state.

"We will have an equal fight. If the BJP uses a stick, we will respond. If they fire at us, we will respond. But if MLAs want to save government against BJP's conspiracy, then they should be heard," he added.

The leader, however, denied any factionalism in the Congress party and said that all MLAs have the right to express their opinion.

"There is no factionalism in Congress. Every MLA has the right to put forth his view on democracy. If the MLAs united at the residence of the parliamentary affairs minister and said something, they did not commit any crime. They were the same MLAs who saved the government on the call of Sonia Gandhi. There is no opposition of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot," the Congress leader said.

Ashok Gehlot was reportedly willing to remain as both Rajasthan CM and the party's national president. However, Rahul Gandhi was against it and batted for the "one-man, one-post" concept in line with the Chintan Shivir reforms earlier this year.