Hitting out at former Rajasthan Chief Minister over his "nakara" and "nikamma" remark for all the Congress leaders who left the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Khiladi Lal Bairwa said on Tuesday that there is no bigger traitor than Gehlot in Rajasthan politics.
Bairwa joined the BJP in March earlier this year. "If you look at Rajasthan politics and Congress politics then there is not a bigger traitor than Ashok Gehlot. We have not forgotten the incidence when several Congress resigned. So, it is not suitable for him to use such words for us," Bairwa said.
This comes a day after, Ashok Gehlot called leaders who left the grand old party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections "nakara" and "nikamma". He also said that some such people are still within the ranks of the organisation. The former Rajasthan chief minister did not take names but his remarks recalled the row when he used the terms – meaning "worthless" – to describe Sachin Pilot, who had rebelled against his leadership, but remains within the organisation.
Gehlot's remarks came after reporters asked him whether the Congress leaders who left the party to join the BJP ahead of the elections should be taken back. The former Rajasthan CM noted that even traitors and back-stabbers linger within the grand old party's ranks, and asked the young party members to become assets rather than liabilities.
He hit out at the party leaders who switched to the BJP by leaving the Congress ahead of the elections. He referred to them as "opportunists", "worthless" and "traitors". He stated that those who left the party and joined the saffron party are "opportunists" and "non-performing assets".
"This is opportunism. Whether you say 'nikamma', 'nakara' or 'gaddar', all these words are brothers and sisters. These are used for such people. The one who betrays is a traitor," Gehlot told reporters, as quoted by PTI. He stated that it was the time to work for the Congress at the time of crisis but after being in rule for five years, they left the party.
It may be noted that several senior leaders of the party, including three former ministers Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Lal Chand Kataria and Rajendra Yadav, joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Before this, the senior Congress leader had used these words for party leader Sachin Pilot during the political crisis in 2020 when he was the chief minister and Pilot was his deputy.
Gehlot said when the Congress was in crisis during Indira Gandhi's time and the party had suffered a humiliating defeat, he and other leaders worked for the party. All such leaders ruled for 40-42 years in different capacities like central minister, AICC general secretary, PCC chief and chief minister. "This is the speciality of the Congress and the Gandhi family that the one who helps in times of crisis need not ask for anything," he said.
Without naming anyone, he said, "Those who betray and stab in the back also remain in the party. I would like to tell those people also that tomorrow is yours." He asked them to behave in such a way that in the coming 15-20 years, they become assets and not a liability for the Congress .