Amit Shah took a dig at the Congress over its crisis in Rajasthan. (File)
Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Congress party and its leaders in Rajasthan on Saturday, mocking both Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot for their internal feud and dismissing their chances of retaining power in the state.
Speaking at a booth-level workers' meeting in Bharatpur district, Mr Shah said that the Congress government in Rajasthan was a "failed experiment" that had betrayed the people's mandate and plunged the state into chaos and corruption.
He advised Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot to stop fighting with each other and "accept the inevitable". "There is no point in fighting. It is the BJP that will come to power in Rajasthan. The people have seen through your drama and deception," he said.
He also took a direct swipe at Mr Pilot, who stepped up his feud with Mr Gehlot this week by launching a one-day fast against alleged corruption by the BJP's Vasundhara Raje and accusing his own party's government of not acting against her.
Mr Shah told Mr Pilot that he had wasted his time and energy in challenging Mr Gehlot and that he had no future in the Congress. "You may be more popular on the ground, but you are not going to be chief minister. The Congress will never give you that chance. You have been sidelined and humiliated by your own party," he said.
"Pilot sits on dharna on any pretext, but his turn [to be Chief Minister] will not come because his contribution in filling the coffers of Congress party is less and Gehlot's contribution is higher," Mr Shah said, alleging that the Chief Minister had "looted" the state to fund the Congress.
Mr Shah's remarks were significant as they came in a region of eastern Rajasthan that is dominated by the Gujjar community, to which Mr Pilot belongs. The Gujjars are a powerful and influential caste group that has often agitated for more political representation and reservation in government jobs and education.
In the last election, the BJP had given tickets to nine people from the Gujjar community. They all lost as the Gujjar vote shifted to the Congress in the hope that Sachin Pilot would become the first Gujjar Chief Minister of Rajasthan. The Congress also performed better than the BJP in this region as compared to 2013, when it had faced a rout across the state.
By attacking Mr Pilot's chief ministerial aspirations, Mr Shah appeared to be trying to win over those in the Gujjar community, who are hoping to see a Gujjar chief minister one day in Mr Pilot. He said that the BJP was the only party that cared for the welfare and development of all sections of society, including the Gujjars.
He appealed to the Gujjar voters to switch their allegiance to the BJP and support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "new India". He said that the BJP would ensure good governance, security, infrastructure, health care, education and employment opportunities for all.