Sachin Pilot attacks Ashok Gehlot over 'hand-in-glove' remark; 'I don't pay heed'

After Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's blazing attack, his former deputy, Sachin Pilot, reacted by saying that after Rahul Gandhi appreciated his patience publicly, some people were angry. Addressing the media on Monday, Pilot said the trouble of some people, in an indirect reference to Gehlot, had reached its 'peak', and they keep 'blabbering'. 

"Earlier also, CM Ashok Gehlot had said many things about me like 'Nakara', 'Nikamma '. I don't take his statements otherwise as he is experienced, senior & a father figure...Right now my focus is to bring back our govt in the state," Pilot said, reminding that it was because of his 'hard work' that the Gehlot government had come to power even the last time. 

Gehlot rakes up phone-tapping episode, attacks Pilot

The Congress leader's comments come after Gehlot had hit out at him, alleging that he was in connivance with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to overthrow the Congress government in the state in 2020. 

Shekhawat, who was recently in Rajasthan, said that Pilot lost a 'golden chance' in revolting against the Congress and repeating a 'Madhya Pradesh-like experiment' in Rajasthan. The Union Minister further said that if Pilot had not failed to topple the Rajasthan government, the state’s 13 districts would not have remained thirsty and the work on the Eastern Canal project would have started.

Referring to that, the Rajasthan Chief Minister said, “The Minister (Gajendra Singh Shekhawat) is saying that if Sachin Pilot had not missed the chance and if the government had changed in Rajasthan, then water would have come (through ERCP) in the state. Can a Union Minister speak such a language? What can be more shameful than this."

Gehlot added, "Everyone knows that you (Shekhawat) conspired to topple the government. Now you are taking the name of Sachin Pilot saying he made a mistake. There is strong proof that you were hand in glove with him (Pilot)."

Rajasthan phone-tapping case

Amid a rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot led by then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, in July 2020, the phone-tapping controversy erupted after two audio recordings surfaced in which MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and alleged middleman Sanjay Jain are purportedly heard talking about a conspiracy to topple the government. 

In 2020, Chief whip Mahesh Joshi submitted a complaint to Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) for registration of an FIR in the matter. On the basis of the FIR, the SOG arrested Jain. However, no action could be taken against Sharma or Shekhawat, and there was no visible development in the case after the Congress High Command intervened and removed the dispute between Gehlot and Pilot for the time being.