The crisis in Rajasthan Congress over the question of Chief Minister has brought much glee to the BJP camp, which has started tweeting digs on social media.
More than 90 MLAs of the Congress are meeting the Speaker, claiming they would resign if Ashok Gehlot — front-runner for the post of the party’s national president — does not remain the Chief Minister. Earlier this evening their demand was to have a Gehlot loyalist in the top post instead of Sachin Pilot, said to the Central leaders’ choice.
The possibility of Mr Gehlot’s double role was ended by Rahul Gandhi earlier this week. Mr Gandhi had insisted on the “One man one post rule”.
Amid speculation on whether the Gehlot loyalist MLAs will be taken away to a resort, the BJP’s Union minister Bhupendra Yadav, tweeted an old photograph of Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot flanking Rahul Gandhi. The photo was tweeted by Mr Gandhi four years ago, the day he persuaded Mr Pilot — then a contender for the Chief Minister post — to accept the role of Mr Gehlot’s deputy.
This time, the caption read, “Please get them to join first” — a dig at the Congress’s “Bharat Jodo yatra” being led by Rahul Gandhi.
The BJP has been consistently mocking the Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot march, saying the Congress should focus instead on joining or uniting the party, in view of so many of its senior leaders heading for the exit.
कृपया पहले इन्हें जोड़ लो 🙏 pic.twitter.com/UZ84sCTgpA
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) September 25, 2022
Another Union minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, tweeted, “This is a government that has to be fenced in (a resort). It has to be shut in again”.
बाड़ेबंदी की सरकार ..
एक बार फिर बाड़े में जाने को तैयार!!#Rajasthan#RajasthanPoliticalCrisis— Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) September 25, 2022
Ninety-two MLAs of the Congress are meeting the Speaker, claiming they want to resign if their demands are not met.
An actual mass resignation will bring down the government and deliver the state to BJP hands. Some Congress leaders have dismissed the possibility, terming the MLAs’ move as an “emotional gesture” and said that reason will prevail.
