Rajasthan govt will complete its term under Gehlot's leadership: Rebel MLA

Rajasthan Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh, who was among the 19 rebel legislators, Thursday said the state government will complete its five-year tenure under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. His statement came hours after his suspension from the party's primary membership was revoked.

The former tourism minister also said he is a worker of the Congress party and will fulfill any responsibility given to him.

It is our duty that the MLAs remain protected and no vindictive action is taken. The high command has assured us so, he told PTI before his suspension was revoked.

He said there were certain issues that prevented the rebel MLAs, led by ex-deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, from coming back to Rajasthan from the Delhi-NCR, where they were camping during the month-long rebellion.

The party high command has intervened and we are assured that everything will be fine, he said.

Far more serious conflicts have happened within the party in the past, but the party emerged united and victorious always, he said.

We are in the process of dialogue and the high command is intervening, he said.

 

"Things will definitely smoothen within the party, he added. "The government will complete its five-year term under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot."

Rejecting allegations that the rebel MLAs' intentions were to topple the Gehlot government, Singh said they had gone to narrate certain things to the party high command, but false cases were registered by the Rajasthan police, therefore they were not comfortable coming back.

Singh was terminated as the state's tourism minister on July 14 for not attending Congress Legislature Party meetings. Three days later, he was suspended from the party's primary membership for alleged involvement in the conspiracy to topple the state government after three audio clips surfaced.

Another MLA, Bhanwarlal Shrama, was also suspended from the party membership. The party Thursday revoked his suspension too.

Singh said the MLAs had grievances that their works were not being done and they were unable to convince people in their constituencies as to why it was so.

There was a lack of coordination between the party and the government, he said.

 

Gehlot had said during the political crisis that there was no dialogue between him and his then-deputy Sachin Pilot for one and a half years.

Singh also expressed hope Thursday that a three-member committee announced by the All India Congress Committee will find solutions to the grievances of the legislators.

The month-long political crisis came to an end when Pilot and the MLAs met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others in Delhi on Monday.

On Thursday, Pilot met the chief minister at the latter's residence in Jaipur, the first time after the crisis ended. The meeting came just before the Congress Legislature Party meeting.

Pilot was also sacked as deputy CM and PCC president on July 14 for failing to attend the CLP meeting. Along with Sachin Pilot and Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena was also sacked as a cabinet minister.