Jaipur, (Asian independent) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday asked one and all to avoid lending rumours to the leadership change in Rajasthan, and said such rumours affect governance leaving people confused.
Addressing the conference of Revenue Service Council in Jaipur on Saturday, Gehlot said: “Rumours keep going on. You don’t have to pay attention to them. Rumors say that the government is changing, the chief minister will change. But I am a person, who has been assigned as CM thrice by Sonia Gandhi. When I became the Chief Minister in 1998, I have authorized her since that time. My resignation (letter) is permanently with her (Sonia Gandhi).”
Gehlot was speaking in the wake of ongoing rumours doing the rounds about change of leadership in Rajasthan after the meeting of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi recently.
He said: “You can imagine, it should not come again and again that the Chief Minister is changing. What is happening? When the Chief Minister has to be changed, then no one will even come to know about it. Rest assured, you don’t fall for rumours. I have been hearing such rumours for two-three days. People get confused by rumours and governance gets affected too,” he said, and also praised veteran BJP leader Nitin Gadkari for his concern for the Congress.
Gadkari has recently said: “Hope the Congress gets stronger as a strong Opposition is good for democracy.”
On this, Gehlot said: “What is happening with the Congress should be a matter of concern within the country. This should also be a matter of concern for the people of the country. The common man who never voted for Congress also wants Congress to be strong in the country.
“One should think in the interest of the country. I tell Prime Minister Modi time and again that those who talk about Congress-mukt Bharat will be get ‘Mukt’ one day. The Congress may not be in power, but even today it is present in every village,” he added.
His statement is believed to be a response to the discussions after Pilot met Sonia Gandhi.
When Pilot was asked about the change in strategy or face after his meeting with Sonia Gandhi, he said, “It was being discussed.”
This statement was seen to be linked to change in Rajasthan. Now, Gehlot’s statement is being considered as a response to change the narrative.