Gehlot miffed with support for Sachin Pilot? Aide says 'raise pro-CM slogans or face jail'

Amid the power tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the Rajasthan CM's advisor and Congress MLA Babulal Nagar stoked a controversy on Tuesday. Ahead of Gehlot's arrival at an event in Dudu, he was heard telling the crowd only to chant slogans in favour of late PM Rajiv Gandhi and the CM. He gave a clear warning that anyone who deviates from this will be slapped with a case and jailed. This diktat assumes significance amid the perception that Gehlot is miffed at the growing popularity of his rival Sachin Pilot. 

Ashok Gehlot's advisor said, "I have given two slogans- Rajiv Gandhi Amar Rahe and Ashok Gehlot Zindabad. Nobody will chant any other slogan. If you want to chant a third slogan, you can get up and leave. Don't blame me then. If anyone chants a (third) slogan, the police will pick him up, put him behind the bars and the government will lodge a case against him. You just have to clap. Only two slogans will be chanted. If someone creates any nuisance, highlight it immediately. The person who doesn't do anything wrong falls in trouble."

Pro-Sachin Pilot slogans irk Minister

In a show of strength by the Gujjar community, thousands of people turned up at an event to mark the immersion of Colonel (retd.) Kirori Singh Bainsla's ashes on Monday. However, as soon as Rajasthan Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Ashok Chandna got on the stage to deliver his speech, people started shouting 'Sachin Pilot Zindabad' slogans and waving their shoes at him. Some even hurled their footwear toward the stage. While the police pacified the agitators, Chandna was heckled and forced to leave the program midway.

Taking to Twitter a day later, he accused Pilot of using such tactics to intimidate Ashok Gehlot's supporters and become the CM. He opined, "If Sachin Pilot becomes the Chief Minister by throwing shoes at me, he should be made soon because I do not wish to fight him today. The day we battle, only one of us will survive and I do not want that". 

Leadership tussle in Rajasthan

During his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on April 21, Sachin Pilot gave an ultimatum to change the leadership in the state citing that the party will lose all polls under Ashok Gehlot. He had fallen out of favour after briefly leading a rebellion in July 2020 after which he was sacked as the Deputy Chief Minister and the Rajasthan Congress chief. Two days later, the Rajasthan CM caused a stir when he revealed publicly that his resignation letter is permanently in the possession of the Congress chief.