Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that the decision to choose the Chief Minister rests on the party’s high command, and he will abide by it.
Speaking about his role after the election result, Gehlot said, “My role has always been whatever the high command wants. I do not decide my own role. The role that high command will give me, I will stick to that.”
He also exuded confidence saying that the Congress will buck the anti-incumbency trend in the state in the upcoming polls, adding that his party is set to get over 150 seats in the 200-member Assembly.
“People have made up their mood to repeat the government in the state this time. I believe we are moving towards 156 seats. The tradition (of changing the govt in every 5 years) is going to break this time. People in the state are happy with the kind of work we have done. In Rajasthan, it is definite that the govt will be repeated,” CM Gehlot said.
Gehlot also trained his guns on central agencies alleging that the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax probe agencies are being used by the BJP government to topple governments in non-BJP states.
“These agencies (ED, IT) are important, their actual work is to probe economic offences. Their attention should be directed there so that the country’s economy remains strong and economic offences don’t take place. Their work (in that direction) has ceased for nine years, just making the government topple and rise, and for that, they threaten MLAs to make them change their party,” he said.
“They are trying to topple governments in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra with ED’s pressure and IT raid,” the CM further alleged.
Gehlot also said that after suggestions received during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress government has passed a law for gig workers and provided social security.
“We have passed a law for gig workers and provided social security to them. There are demands that a law should be made for gig workers in India. Platform service providers have emerged- like Uber, Ola, Zomato and many other platforms where people are doing jobs without any security,” he said.
Gehlot targets PM Modi over campaign speech
Further, he also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using unparliamentary language during the election campaign trail.
He was referring to PM’s speech at Baytu in Rajasthan on November 15. The PM had said, “Aisee bhrashtaachaare aur nikkamee sarakaar ko sabse pahle saja dene ka mauka aapako (votar) ko mila hai. kamal ka batan aise dabaayen jaise unhen phaansee de rahe ho, to vaise hee batan dabao (You (voter) have got the first opportunity to punish such a corrupt and inefficient government. Press the lotus button as if you are hanging them, then press the button the same way).”
“Prime Minister is a very big post and his statement lacks decency. Whatever they say to voters “press the button as if you are going to hang Congress government” is not going to work. The use of violence in language must not happen in campaigning,” the CM said.
Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25 and the counting of votes will be on December 3.