'Few MLAs sitting with Amit Shah': Ashok Gehlot's dig at Sachin Pilot

Jaipur, Oct 02: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday took a dig at his rival Sachin Pilot saying that Congress MLAs thought it was better to rebel than accept "others" as few lawmakers are sitting with Amit Shah.

"MLAs thought it was better to rebel than accept others. Everybody knows that a few MLAs were sitting with Amit Shah, Zafar Islam, and Dharmendra Pradhan. Everybody knows that the BJP was trying to topple the government. They don't want the government to complete five years, Gehlot was quoted saying by India Today.

Gehlot was speaking after paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at a function in Jaipur.

Gehlot is unwilling to cede any space to Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, while Pilot has been eyeing CM's post for a long time now.

The Gehlot vs Pilot war dates back to 2013 when the Congress was at its lowest ebb in Rajasthan winning just 21 of 200 seats in Assembly polls. Pilot, a young Congress leader was given the task of reviving the grand old party's fortunes in Rajasthan.

Pilot, who is said to be close to Rahul Gandhi, took the lead while Gehlot was inducted into a screening committee for Punjab polls in 2016 and was made a general secretary in Delhi in 2017.

In 2018, Gehlot and Pilot were at loggerheads for the chief minister's post soon after the Congress won the Assembly elections as the high command then chose Gehlot as the chief minister overlooking Pilot's efforts.

Ashok Gehlot alleged that Pilot has been planning a political coup with BJP since the formation of the government in 2019. Rajasthan police issued notices to Pilot to record his statement in connection with the alleged attempts to "topple" the Congress government.

The Congress presidential polls became the flash-point between Gehlot and Pilot.