Political Crisis In Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot Reaches Delhi With 25 MLAs, Likely To Meet Sonia Gandhi

According to reports, after rumours of infighting with CM Gehlot, Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot is in a resort in Delhi with his 25 loyalists and is planning a show of strength in a meeting with Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Rajasthan politics has taken a new turn of events after Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot accused the BJP of poaching Congress MLAs to topple the government. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot in Delhi on Sunday morning with some of his loyalist MLAs and may talk to party leadership regarding the developing political crisis in the state. ALSO READ|'BJP Conspiring To Topple The Rajasthan Govt, Offering 25 Crores To Poach MLAs': CM Ashok Gehlot It is being said Sachin Pilot has arrived with the 25 MLAs and is planning to show his strength to the top brass of the party.  Pilot is likely to meet Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, a day after he met her close aide and senior party leader Ahmed Patel. According to sources, Pilot told Patel at a meeting late on Saturday night that chief minister Ashok Gehlot was trying to sideline him and was given assurances that “injustice will not be allowed to happen to him”. Sachin Pilot's arrival with the 25 MLAs has raised alarms of the rift going on between CM Ashok Gehlot and the deputy CM. According to sources, Pilot wants to discuss with the Congress leadership about the "step-motherly treatment given to them by the Gehlot government". Gehlot Convenes Meeting On Saturday, chief minister Ashok Gehlot also convened a meeting of the council of ministers at his residence to discuss the political situation in the state. Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Labour Minister Tikaram Jully, among others, visited Gehlot. Apart from Congress MLAs, Independent MLAs also met the chief minister. CM Ashok Gehlot Blames BJP of attempts to poaching MLAs 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. 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 Congress holds 107 seats in the 200-strong Rajasthan Assembly and has support from 12 independent candidates. In addition, five MLAs from other parties - the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the CPI (M), and the Bharatiya Tribal Party - support Gehlot.