"I would like to make it clear that I have no plans to join the BJP," says Sachin Pilot
Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion has pushed the Congress government in Rajasthan to the brink, said today that he is not joining the BJP and is still a Congress man. "I am not joining the BJP. I would like to make it clear that I have no plans to join the BJP. Attempts to link me to the BJP are to malign me in the eyes of the Congress high-command," Sachin Pilot told NDTV, pointing out that he had worked hard to defeat the BJP.
Sachin Pilot has cancelled a press conference he was to address today. This morning, the Congress initiated moves to disqualify Sachin Pilot and other dissident Rajasthan MLAs for anti-party activities. Nineteen rebels have been issued notice by the assembly Speaker.
Here are the live updates on political developments in Rajasthan:
In Raipur, Digvijaya Singh hits back after BJP's Brijmohan Agarwal says ''Congress rattled''
BJP leader and former Chhattisgarh minister Brijmohan Agrawal on Wednesday said the Congress party was rattled as wrong decisions taken by it have led to dissatisfaction among its workers and the party was worried that it will in Chhattisgarh face a fate similar to that of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
"From Raipur to Delhi, Congress is rattled. There is no leadership in and they have no control, so they are making wrong decisions. This has caused dissatisfaction. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are a result of that dissatisfaction," Mr Agrawal said.
Mr Agarwal's comment came after the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday appointed 15 MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.
Rajasthan: BJP questions speaker's notice to Sachin Pilot, rebel Congress MLAs
Absence from a legislature party meeting can't be a ground for disqualification from the state assembly, said Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia raising a question over notices sent to rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot and his supporter MLAs in this regard.
Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi has issued notices to Sachin Pilot and other rebel Congress MLAs after the party sought their disqualification from the state assembly.
On Bribing MLAs, Let Us Refresh Your Memory: Team Sachin Pilot To Ashok Gehlot Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's allegations about horse-trading and a Rs 20-crore deal with the BJP have raised hackles in the Sachin Pilot camp. A former minister and another leader have stepped forward to refresh Mr Gehlot's memory about the time MLAs from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party joined the Congress. "Today they say that there is talk of crores of "
len-den" (give and take). I want to ask the Chief Minister -- how much money was paid to us when I joined the Congress? Tell the truth," said former minister Ramesh Meena, who was one of the leaders who made the switch.
Read here Absence Of MLAs In Legislature Party Meeting Not Ground For Disqualification: Rajasthan BJP Questions Speaker's Notice To Sachin PilotAbsence from a legislature party meeting can't be grounds for disqualification from the state assembly, Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia said, raising a question over notices sent to rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot and his supporter MLAs in this regard, reported PTI.
"Absence of MLAs in the legislature party meeting is not a reason for their disqualification. It shows ill-intentions of the assembly speaker. We are examining the legal aspect of the action," Satish Poonia said reacting to the development. BJP will try to ensure that the constitutional limits are not violated, Mr Poonia added.
No Talks Held Between Sachin Pilot, BJP: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said that no talk has been held between Sachin Pilot and the BJP, comments that came after rebel Congress leader noted that he would not be joining the party, reported PTI.
"I had said it is a matter of happiness if anybody with a mass base joins our ideological platform. Our state (Rajasthan) president and any other senior leader would have spoken with similar intentions. But this should not be interpreted to suggest that we are welcoming somebody with open arms or waiting for him eagerly by rolling out a carpet," he said.
The senior BJP leader from Rajasthan also denied that his party leaders have held talks with Sachin Pilot and noted that the Congress leader has himself said that he was not in touch with anybody.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Indulging In Petty Politics: Rajasthan Congress Chief Govind Dotasara
Newly appointed Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara on Wednesday accused BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of indulging in petty politics after his party failed to "fulfil its intentions" in the state, reported PTI. Mr Dotasara, who is also the state education minister, said this while responding to the Union minister's remarks that the Congress insulted people of Rajasthan by appointing him its state party chief after the removal of rebel leader Sachin Pilot.
The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to topple its government in the state. Mr Shekhawat made the comments in an apparent reference to a controversy over changes in the school syllabus in the state.
"Trust, Allegiance Cannot Be Confidential", Salman Khurshid's Veiled Jibe Ay Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia
Amid the ongoing turmoil in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Wednesday took a veiled jibe at former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, stating that "trust and allegiance cannot be confidential, it is there or it is not", reported ANI.
While Sachin Pilot has been sacked as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee chief by the party, Jyotiraditya Scindia had left the Congress to join the BJP.
Salman Khurshid said that many colleagues of his party have become leaders due to the "generous support" of the top leadership.
"Interesting that many of our colleagues have become 'leaders' because of the generous support of top leadership and demand more support because of being 'leaders'. Trust and allegiance cannot be conditional. It is there or it is not," Mr Khurshid's tweet read.
"Family disputes should be easy to mend but are sometimes worse for being in the family. Respect and affection is legitimate expectation but demanding constant physical proof undermines the basis of relationship. Have to be human first and trader later," he added in a subsequent tweet.
Haryana Resort Housing Team Sachin Pilot Turns "Quarantine Centre"A resort in Haryana's Manesar near Delhi is claiming to be a "quarantine centre" for coronavirus after Rajasthan's rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot shifted there with MLAs supporting him. Its overnight transformation drew attention as the Congress today challenged Sachin Pilot to "come out of the security cover" of the BJP government in Haryana and return to Jaipur.
Read here With Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Rahul Gandhi Lost Both Arms: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin PatelRahul Gandhi has lost both his arms with Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, Gujarat deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday, adding that a weaker Congress is good for the BJP, reported PTI. "We all saw what had happened in Madhya Pradesh. Now, it's happening again in Rajasthan. There seems to be some fault in the functioning of the Congress leadership," Mr Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.
"These two young leaders were like right and left hands of Rahul Gandhi. Now, he has lost both his arms," Nitin Patel said.
Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit from the Congress in March this year along with 22 MLAs had led to the collapse of then Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. Sachin Pilot, who had a falling out with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and is leading a group of dissident MLAs, was on Tuesday sacked as the state Congress president and from the post of the deputy chief minister. Sachin Pilot has however ruled out joining the BJP.
Congress Seeks Rebel MLAs' Disqualification From Assembly, Asks Them To Come Back To "Family"
The Congress has sought the disqualification of Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs from the state assembly even as it repeated that the party has not closed its doors on him, reported PTI.. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi confirmed that disqualification notices have been sent out Tuesday on the basis of the complaint made by the party. The dissidents have to reply by Friday. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also talked tough, accusing the former deputy chief minister of being directly involved in the alleged horse-trading with the opposition BJP to bring down his government. He did not refer to Pilot by name but spoke about the "deputy chief minister" and the "PCC president", both posts held by the leader before he was stripped off of them on Tuesday as he tussled with the more senior Rajasthan leader for power. But, amid this tough posturing, the Congress said the dissident MLAs can still return to the Congress fold.
Sachin Pilot "Himself Doing Deal": Ashok Gehlot's Horse-Trading Charge"The former PCC chief was involved in dealings with BJP. I have proof of horse-trading," Ashok Gehlot told reporters in Jaipur. "We have the proof that horse trading was being committed. Money was offered. And who gave the clarification that nothing was happening? Those who were themselves part of the conspiracy are giving clarifications," Mr Gehlot was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
Read here Private Hotels Open For Everyone: ML Khattar On Congress' "BJP Hospitality" Jibe
"Private hotels are open for everyone, anyone can stay there. The Haryana government has no role in it," Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar said on being asked about Rajasthan Congress MLAs staying at a hotel in Manesar, reported ANI.
"Stop Accepting BJP Hospitality In Haryana," Congress Tells Sachin Pilot: 10 PointsThe Congress today sent out a strong message to rebel Sachin Pilot, asking him to "return to the family" and stop accepting BJP hospitality in Haryana. Hours after Sachin Pilot asserted that speculation about him joining the BJP were an attempt to "malign him before the Gandhis", the Congress said: "If you don't want to go to the BJP, immediately turn down the hospitality of the BJP government in Haryana, free Congress MLAs from the BJP police trap."
"Come Back To Your Home In Jaipur": Randeep Surjewala Tells Sachin Pilot
"We've seen Sachin Pilot's statement that he won't join BJP. I'd like to tell him that if you don't want that, then immediately come out of the security cover of BJP's Haryana govt, stop all conversations with them & come back to your home in Jaipur," Randeep Surjewala said while briefing the media
I have been in politics for 40 years, we love the new generation, the future will be theirs. This new generation, they have become central ministers, state presidents if they had gone through what we did in our time, they would have understood, says Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
In Congress's Rajasthan Mess, A Quiet Mayawati Angle
As Congress tries to consolidate its tally in Rajasthan for the possibility that Sachin Pilot's revolt forces a floor test, Uttar Pradesh politician Mayawati's BSP may be a spoiler.
Read Here Rajasthan State BJP President Satish Punia meets senior party leaders, amid the current political situation in the state.
Rajasthan: State BJP President Satish Punia meets senior party leaders, amid the current political situation in the state.
pic.twitter.com/xPxAQ5y6oR Congress party puts notice at MLA Hemaram Choudhary's residence in Gudamalani, Barmer in Rajasthan for not attending the recent Congress Legislative Party meetings.
Emphasis On Gandhis In Seemingly New Approach By Sachin Pilot, Congress
As he proclaimed "I am still a Congressman" this morning, Sachin Pilot appeared to be making an outreach to the Gandhis, stressing that chatter of him joining the BJP is an exercise "to malign him with the Gandhis." Sources in the party said that his shutting down talk of a BJP move has had the desired effect and that Congress leaders are not averse to lowering the pitch.
Read Here Sachin Pilot was made an MP, a Central Minister, Rajasthan Party Chief and Deputy Chief Minister, what is his age? He is still young, he should have some patience. His actions have been against the party discipline. These youngsters do not have patience, says Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande on Wednesday informed that a notice has been issued to Sachin Pilot and 18 other party members for not attending Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings.
"Not Joining BJP, Attempt To Malign Me Before Gandhis": Sachin Pilot
Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion has left the Congress teetering on another cliff-edge in a matter of three months, said today that he is not joining the BJP and still remains a Congress man.
Read Here Congress leader Sanjay Jha says his loyalty is to the ideology of the party and not to any individual or family.
Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is expected to address a press briefing today.
Disqualification Notice To Sachin Pilot, Other Rebel Congress MLAs
The Congress today initiated moves to disqualify Sachin Pilot and other dissident Rajasthan MLAs for anti-party activities. Nineteen rebels have been issued notice by the assembly Speaker and asked to respond by Friday. The move is likely to give the Congress government in Rajasthan an advantage by bringing the majority-mark down in a floor test. Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion has pushed the Congress government to the edge, is likely to address the media later today.
Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot makes changes to his Twitter profile, identifies himself as MLA from Tonk Assembly and Former Minister of IT, Telecom and Corporate Affairs.
Vasundhara Raje To Attend Key BJP Meet Today Amid Congress Crisis
Vasundhara Raje -- the tallest leader of the BJP in Rajasthan -- is expected to make a late entry into the four-day-old political battleground tomorrow. The former Chief Minister -- believed to be out of Jaipur for the last three days -- is expected to attend a crucial strategy session of the BJP tomorrow, sources told NDTV.
Read Here Sachin Pilot Is Now Ex Deputy Chief Minister
The Congress government in Rajasthan is on the brink just three months after the party lost Madhya Pradesh. Rebel leader Sachin Pilot was sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and removed as state party chief after he skipped two meetings of MLAs despite the leadership reaching out to him several times. Two more ministers who have joined him in his revolt were also dropped.