'Sachin Pilot’s Movements, Phones Were Monitored,' Claims Ashok Gehlot’s OSD

In July 2020, then-deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs revolted against Gehlot's leadership.

Ashok Gehlot's OSD on Tuesday alleged that the Congress government monitored Sachin Pilot's movements and phone.

New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, outgoing Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's OSD on Tuesday alleged that the Congress government monitored Sachin Pilot's movements and phone when he had rebelled in 2020.

Speaking to ANI, Sharma said, "During the political crisis in Rajasthan, when Sachin Pilot had gone to Manesar with 18 MLAs, the state government was keeping a track on Sachin Pilot and the people he was meeting."

"Sachin Pilot was being monitored on where he was going, and who was he talking to on the phone so that corrective measures could be taken and it was because of the monitoring that we could bring some people back. He was also being chased and all his movements were tracked," he added.

#WATCH | Jaipur: On alleged phone tapping of Congress leader Sachin Pilot, Outgoing Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's OSD Lokesh Sharma says "During the political crisis in Rajasthan, when Sachin Pilot had gone to Manesar with 18 MLAs, the state government was keeping a track on Sachin… pic.twitter.com/XzTJhdNGDh

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2023

In July 2020, then-deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs revolted against Gehlot's leadership. The month-long crisis was brought to an end by the intervention of the party's high command. Pilot was then fired as deputy chief minister and president of the state legislature.

Sharma, who was denied a ticket to contest the Rajasthan assembly polls, has been criticising Gehlot for the party's defeat in the elections. 

He claimed that the main reason for Congress's defeat was that the ticket distribution was not done properly.

"There was no-anti incumbency against the government but people did not want to see many of the MLAs return as their representatives. Such reports were communicated to the chief minister. These were not just my reports but the AICC survey, and other reports were that sitting MLAs' tickets should be cut but it was not done," Sharma claimed.

On the day the Congress lost in Rajasthan, Sharma had blamed Gehlot for the defeat in the assembly polls and said that his experience, magic and schemes could not bring the Congress back to power in the state.