BJP tried to topple Rajasthan government, says CM alleging conspiracy
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to topple the state government. Gehlot, who belongs to the Indian National Congress party, based the allegations on claims of his party's legislators. The BJP, which leads the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, had allegedly bragged about toppling five other state governments, Gehlot said.
Gehlot was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI, "(The BJP) tried to make the government fall in Rajasthan." Gehlot claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had met Congress MLAs, assuring them that the BJP had made five state governments fall and the Rajasthan government would be the sixth.
Gehlot said, "After meeting with Shah and Pradhan, our MLAs told me that they were ashamed to see Amit Shah as Home Minister. There was a time when Sardar Patel was Home Minister and now it's him." He added, "They were giving assurance that they have made five different governments fall and this will be the sixth one. BJP has been conspiring like this."
This is not the first time that Gehlot has accused the BJP of trying to destabilize his government. Back in July, when then-Deputy CM Sachin Pilot had rebelled against Gehlot's leadership, the CM had accused the BJP of conspiring against his government. As high drama ensued, Pilot was removed as Deputy CM and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief.
In November, too, Gehlot had spoken about the BJP's "unethical acts," claiming that the saffron party stoked fears about the coronavirus pandemic for "political mileage." "Blinded by the greed for power, the state BJP leaders are doing negative politics by giving statements at the behest of their central leaders about toppling the government and spreading fear about coronavirus," Gehlot had said at the time.
