Key Points

Talking to media persons in Jodhpur, Gehlot claimed that Union Ministers Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had collectively conspired to destabilise his government during his tenure, but failed. “Our government was the only one in the country that they could not topple,” said Gehlot. “Governments were changed in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, but they failed in Rajasthan despite distributing money within our party. I have proof that cash was given to MLAs,” he added.

Gehlot questioned the “health” of Indian democracy, accusing the BJP of indulging in horse trading and political sabotage. “Just imagine the kind of money distributed to buy MLAs - Rs 25 crore, Rs 35 crore, Rs 50 crore. And in Maharashtra, the numbers are unimaginable. Is this the way democracy functions? Today, the same people are celebrating Constitution Day,” he said.

The former Chief Minister also warned that invoking religion in politics will destroy the country’s fabric. “If you keep doing politics in the name of ‘Hindu-Hindu’, the country will be ruined,” he warned.

Addressing the historical imposition of the Emergency in 1975, Gehlot said the Congress accepted its mistakes. “The Emergency was imposed, mistakes were made, and we paid the price. Congress apologised. Indira Gandhi herself lost the election. I too lost in 1977. But in just two years, a storm of public support brought us back with a massive majority. Why? Because people also saw the good that came during that period.”

Gehlot praised developmental initiatives during the Emergency, particularly the 20-point programme launched by Sanjay and Indira Gandhi. “People today still talk about the discipline of that time. Offices opened on time. It was a declared Emergency. But today there’s an undeclared one - how many journalists and writers are jailed today, no one even knows. The government hides the numbers,” he said.

Commenting on the current state of governance in Rajasthan, Gehlot said the public is disillusioned and the administration is directionless. “Earlier, officers were scared of accountability. Today, who should we go to? Ministers are unavailable, and even the Chief Minister’s doors are closed. The situation is delicate.”

Since the 2020 rebellion by some Congress MLAs during Ashok Gehlot’s tenure, the former Chief Minister has been accusing the BJP of trying to topple his government by distributing large sums of money among Congress MLAs.

- IANS