'Will approach President, even stage dharna outside PM house’: Gehlot tells MLAs
New Delhi, July 25: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who chaired a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday said that he was ready to go to Rashtrapati Bhavan to ensure the "BJP conspiracy" does not be succeed.
"BJP conspiracy will not be allowed to succeed. I will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan if needed. If we have to picket at Rashtrapati Bhavan or even Prime Minister's residence, we will give this," Ashok Gehlot told his MLAs today, who raised their hands in support.
"The chief minister asked us to remain prepared to stay longer at the hotel. If required, he said, we would go to meet the President and would also hold a dharna outside the prime minister's residence," a party leader said.
The meeting took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur where MLAs loyal to him have been lodged since a tussle for power broke out between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot.
Rajasthan political crisis: Congress workers stage protests against BJP across state
Congress MLAs had squatted on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan for several hours, demanding that Governor Kalraj Mishra should summon a session of the Vidhan Sabha so that they can prove their majority.
Gehlot alleged that the Governor was under "pressure from above" not to summon a session, hinting that the BJP government at the Centre was involved in the tussle for power in the state.
The Congress has accused Shekhwat of trying to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, a charge the Union Jal Shakti minister has denied. The Congress and Shekhawat have been involved in an intense war of words since then.
A Rajasthan court has also asked the state police to probe a complaint alleging the involvement of Shekhawat in a credit society scam. The Union minister has dismissed the charge as a "political conspiracy".