MLAs GOT AGITATED OVER NAME OF NEW CM, SAYS GEHLOT IN A VEILED ATTACK ON PILOT

Jaipur: In a veiled attack on Sachin Pilot, CM Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said it should be looked into as to why there was resentment among MLAs over the name of new CM in Raj. Several MLAs loyal to Gehlot, who was seen as the front runner for the post of AICC president, had last week submitted resignation letters over a possible move to appoint Pilot as next CM. Targeting the MLAs who had revolted against him in 2020, he said they were hand-inglove with the BJP. “Some of our MLAs met Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan and other leaders.

Amit Shah was offering sweets to our MLAs. So, how can I forget those 102 MLAs who saved the Congress government,” he said without naming the Congress MLAs. “I have got public support whenever I needed, be it during the political crisis or during corona. Therefore, how can I stay away from them,” he said asserting that he cannot ditch the 102 MLAs who had saved his government during the political crisis in 2020 and, therefore, he apologised to Sonia Gandhi. Referring to the crisis, he said, “When a chief minister is changed, 80-90 percent (MLAs) leave him and switch sides. They turn to the new candidate. I too don’t consider it wrong. But it was a new case in Rajasthan where the MLAs got agitated just in the name of the new chief minister,” Gehlot said without naming Pilot. “I was in Jaisalmer. I could not guess but the MLAs sensed who was going to be the new chief minister,” he told reporters after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the secretariat here. On the CM post, Gehlot reiterated that it is for the party high command to decide.