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Updated June 8th, 2023 at 23:06 IST

Congress will win Rajasthan polls 2023 if Ashok Gehlot steps down, says party MLA

The veteran Congress MLA from Rajasthan also took a jibe at the BJP. He said, "In the BJP, you will be thrown out for speaking."

Reported by: Simran Singh
Ashok Gehlot
Image: PTI | Image:self
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Adding fuel to the infighting in the Congress Rajasthan unit, party MLA Bharat Singh Kundanpur on Wednesday (June 7) made a controversial remark stating that if Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot publicly announces that he is not a contender for the top post in the state and will promote young leadership, the party will surely retain power.

"If Gehlot ji openly calls a press conference and says that I want to see that the Congress government is repeated in Rajasthan and I am not a contender for the chief minister's post and I will promote the youth, the map will change...," said Singh. "Attachment (to chair) is more than the intoxication of alcohol,” he added.

Following a meeting with the state Congress in-charge, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the MLA told reporters that he has decided not to contest elections to give way to young leaders. He added that when "a shopkeeper gets old, the younger generation takes the lead while the senior one keeps an eye on things."

Kundanpur, who was a minister during the earlier term of the Gehlot government, represents the Sangod constituency in Kota. He has been writing to CM Gehlot, pleading for action to be taken against Mines Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya for his alleged involvement in corruption.

When asked about party colleague and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who has also been raising the corruption issue, Kundanpur said, "We are separate individuals. He does it his way. I do it my way."

The veteran MLA also took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "In Congress, only leaders can raise issues and are patiently heard by the party. In the BJP, you will be thrown out for speaking."

Infighting in Congress Rajasthan unit

The power tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot dates back to 2018. It started during the state assembly polls, first over party tickets and later over the chief minister's position. The tug of war  between the two leaders gained momentum in 2020 when Pilot, along with 18 MLAs, revolted against Gehlot.

The battle resurfaced in 2023 when former Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, who is seen to have the support of over a dozen MLAs, went on a hunger strike in April 2023 against his own government. The Congress top brass had on May 30 summoned Gehlot and Pilot to Delhi for talks with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Rajasthan will have assembly elections later in 2023, and the party, which is attempting to combat the state's revolving door routine, is in urgent need of mending its damaged reputation.

(with inputs from ANI)

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Published June 8th, 2023 at 13:14 IST

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