Cong Serves Notice to Rajasthan MLA Over Remarks Against Gehlot

Todabhim MLA Prithviraj Meena said the chief minister should bear the responsibility for the election drubbing.

File photo of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Congress on Thursday, 6 June, issued a notice to its MLA from Rajasthan's Todabhim over his remarks against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, after the party drew a blank in the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Todabhim MLA Prithviraj Meena had on Wednesday, said Gehlot should bear responsibility for the party's election drubbing and be replaced by his deputy Sachin Pilot as chief minister.

The Congress also issued an advisory asking its leaders to refrain from making statements in media or on social media that can “hurt the party’s dignity.”

At the AICC briefing in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, said the concerned MLA, who raised the issue of the chief minister's resignation, has been served a notice by Congress Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande and others have been warned against making such remarks in public.

‘Responsibility of Party Workers to Be Disciplined’

The structure of the 133-year-old party is such that it handles the issues at the local level in the state, Khera said.

“We do not make any compromises on internal democracy,” Khera added.

Pande said it is the collective responsibility of Congress workers to ensure that the party's image is not affected.

“Over the last few days, some incidents, which have hurt the party’s dignity, have come to notice. It is the responsibility of party workers to be disciplined and not give statements publicly, directly or indirectly, in media or on social media which reflect that any individual is damaging the party for his interests and working for his individual agenda.”

Avinash Pande, Congress Rajasthan In-Charge

Unwanted statements fulfil the negative objectives of the opposition BJP and take their agenda of damaging the Congress forward, he said.

Pande asked the party workers to work unitedly as disciplined soldiers during the worst of circumstances and not deviate from the target for which people voted the party to power.

“A chief minister is responsible for an election defeat when the party is in power and when it is in the opposition, the responsibility lies with the party president,” Prithviraj Meena had said.

The MLA, however, said it was his individual opinion that Sachin Pilot should be made the CM.

On Tuesday, Meena had expressed displeasure over Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s remarks in a TV interview that his deputy and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot should take responsibility for his son Vaibhav Gehlot’s defeat from Jodhpur, suggesting that it was against the interest of the party.

Of the 25 in the state, the BJP won 24 and its alliance partner Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won one in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.