"We Don't Horse-Trade, BSP MLAs Joined Us On Their Own": Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the Congress has never indulged in horse-trading and all six BSP MLAs have joined their party on their own.

"The MLAs who joined our party have joined without any pressure. Mayawati has to understand. We have never indulged in horse-trading," he said.

The BSP MLAs had joined the Congress late on Monday.

Mr Gehlot called the MLAs joining Congress as "a switch for development" and said they knew BSP's condition in Rajasthan.

"The way Mayawati has reacted is natural, but she should also think that there are no chances of her forming the government (in Rajasthan). The MLAs saw the party's condition here. They know that if they want development for the state, they can only do it with the government's support," the Rajasthan Chief Minister said.

Without naming the BJP, he accused it of indulging in horse-trading to dislodge the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.

"They are offering about Rs 25 crore to them. I am surprised from where they are getting the money. People join our party whole-heartedly and it is a big thing," he said.

On the possibility of the Congress joining hands with the BSP in future, Mr Gehlot said that Congress party had supported Mayawati when she needed support.

"Congress has formed an alliance with like-minded parties," he said, adding that decisions taken in the interest of the state should always be welcomed.

Mayawati on Tuesday accused the Congress of "breaking" her party in the state.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister fumed that Congress party in Rajasthan, by creating a split among the BSP MLAs, has once again proved that it is untrustworthy and a cheat.

"This is a betrayal to the BSP movement and has been done when the BSP was giving unconditional support to the Congress government there from outside," she tweeted.