The power struggle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, that has been simmering for long, spilled out into the open on Sunday, threatening the stability of the 20-month-old Congress government in Rajasthan.
In a statement released through his media adviser, Mr. Pilot said the Gehlot government was now in a minority after over 30 Congress MLAs and some independent lawmakers had pledged support to him. Mr. Pilot also said he would not attend a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party scheduled for Monday.
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Several MLAs who support Mr. Pilot, have moved to a hotel in Manesar on the outskirts of Delhi while others have moved in with relatives in the Gurgaon area, all in BJP-ruled Haryana, a source close to him told The Hindu.
Mr. Pilot was miffed over a notice issued by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan police seeking time from him to record his statement in a case of conspiracy and sedition registered after attempts were allegedly made by the BJP to bribe Congress MLAs to switch sides during last month’s Rajya Sabha elections.
“The police sending a similar notice to the Chief Minister was just a pretext to harass Mr. Pilot,” the source in his camp said.
A source close to Mr. Gehlot, however, said Mr. Pilot was playing into the hands of the BJP, and there had been no communication between them for months. “Mr. Gehlot is very accommodative but gave up on Mr. Pilot after a while,” the source said.