'BJP Conspiring To Topple The Rajasthan Govt, Offering 25 Crores To Poach MLAs': CM Ashok Gehlot

The Rajasthan chief minister accused the BJP of offering crores to MLAs and independents and called the party 'shameless' for trying to destabilise the government. He also said that such things didn't happen in Vajpayee times.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot/ File Image: PTI

New Delhi: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused the BJP government on Sunday of hatching a conspiracy to topple his government in the state. Gehlot claimed that while his government is busy battling the coronavirus the BJP is playing politics and trying to poach Congress' MLAs. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE| No Covid 19 Vaccine Till August 15th, Development Will Take Months: Health Ministry Gehlot alleged that the BJP, which is the main opposition in the state, was offering MLAs up to Rs 25 crore or "favours" to switch allegiances and help topple his government. “At the behest of their central leaders, how they are trying to topple the government, all of it is now before the public. To the MLAs whom they are approaching, they are offering Rs 10 crore in advance and after the government falls, then Rs 15 crore more. To some MLAs they are offering to pay extra,” Gehlot said in a press conference Citing the examples of Karnataka and then Madhya Pradesh where Jyotiraditya Scindia moved to BJP and Congress lost its 15 MLAs, Gehlot said, “The sort of horse-trading that we have seen in other states, such things have never happened in Rajasthan. MLAs never resigned like what happened in Madhya Pradesh. They bought MLAs in Gujarat. What has transpired in Madhya Pradesh, something similar they are trying to do in Rajasthan.” “It wasn’t so at the time of Vajpayee-ji but after 2014, arrogance has crept into their party, which is busy trying to divide people in the name of religion,” he said, adding that the BJP is misusing ED, IT and CBI. "The BJP's (true) face has been exposed ever since their victory in 2014. What they first did covertly, they now do overtly. You saw this in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and the north-eastern states". ALSO READ| With The Highest Ever Surge Over 27k Cases, India's Covid Tally Mounts From 7 To 8 Lakhs In Just 3 Days Gehlot also hit out at a "shameless" BJP and said they "bought seven MLAs in Gujarat" to win last month's Rajya Sabha election. "They tried to do the same thing in Rajasthan but we stopped them and gave them a lesson they will remember for a long time," he added. "The people are seeing everything and this arrogance of the BJP will be broken in coming elections. The people of India will teach the BJP a lesson," Gehlot declared. Police investigating the claims made by Congress The plot of allegedly toppling the Congress government in Rajasthan is being probed by the Special Operations Group of the state police. According to ADG (SOG) Ashok Kumar Rathore, the police were carrying out an investigation in the smuggling of illegal weapons in the process of which they had taped phones of some criminals. On June 13, Rathore told the press that the SOG heard a conversation between two criminals who were discussing plans of toppling the Gehlot government. He said that investigations are underway in the case and involvement of some significant personalities is being suspected. BJP's Om Mathur refuted the claims made by Congress and said that they will file a privilege motion against CM Ashok Gehlot in the Legislative Assembly. Amid rumours of Sachin Pilot wanting to be the Chief Minister, Gehlot was asked about the factionalism within his party, he said, “Who doesn’t want to be the chief minister? There are perhaps five to seven people within the party who are able, who are talented to sit in the CM’s chair but only one person can be made the chief minister. But as soon as the question of CM is decided everyone else gets united and stands behind him.”