‘Attempts to dislodge my elected govt,’ writes Rajasthan CM in letter to PM Modi
In his letter, Gehlot wrote, “There have been despicable attempts to destabilize elected governments through horse-trading. I don’t know to what extent you are aware of all this or whether you are being misled.”
New Delhi: As Rajasthan witnesses more than a week-long drama over Pilot camp with 19 MLAs breaking up from the state government, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that there are attempts to destabilize Congress govt in the state.
In his letter, Gehlot wrote, “There have been despicable attempts to destabilize elected governments through horse-trading. I don’t know to what extent you are aware of all this or whether you are being misled.”
Rajasthan CM also accused Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, other BJP leaders and some “overambitious leaders” of his own party for being involved in the alleged attempt to bring down his Congress government.
Written a letter to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. pic.twitter.com/P2TnSoa0Cu
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 22, 2020
Gehlot cites example of MP & Karnataka to put his case
He said the alleged attempt to bring down the Congress government in the state insulted the people’s mandate and was an open violation of constitutional values.
He cited the examples of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, the two states where Congress lost power over the past year while alleging horse-trading of MLAs by the BJP.
Gehlot said for some time there have been attempts to bring down elected governments, ignoring the spirit of the anti-defection law brought in by the Rajiv Gandhi government and the amendment introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Gehlot blames Shekhawat for destabilizing his govt
He said protecting lives is the only priority during the COVID-19 pandemic and in such a situation attempts are being made to topple the elected government in Rajasthan.
“In this act, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, other BJP leader and some overambitious leaders of our party are involved,” he said.
Gehlot said he is saddened that a ruling party at the Centre could ignore its priority of managing the coronavirus pandemic and is instead play the “main role” in bringing down a Congress government.