Rajasthan Sports minister Ashok Chandna was heckled and shoes and slippers hurled by people who had gathered at a public meeting that was attended by leaders of the Congress as well as the BJP. The minister was in Ajmer to attend the asthi-visarjan (immersion of ashes) programme of late Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Monday.

As Chandna began reading a message by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the crowd began hooting and raising slogans of “Sachin Pilot zindabad”. Visuals of the event showed shoes and slippers being flung in the air from within the crowd.

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The ‘asthi kalash’ yatra of late Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla began from Kotputli on August 17 and covered about 75 Assembly seats in 23 districts, before reaching Pushkar in Ajmer. Thousands from Most Backward Castes (MBC), including Gujjars, had gathered for the programme, which turned out to be a show of strength by the community ahead of Assembly elections in late 2023.

Among those to mark their presence were Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, BJP state president Satish Poonia, former minister Rajendra Rathore, and RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary. Cabinet ministers Ashok Chandna and Shakuntala Rawat, as well as CM’s son Vaibhav Gehlot, were also present at the occasion.

Also Read: Congress ship sinking, says BJP after Rajasthan minister asks CM Gehlot to relieve him from ‘cruel’ post

Chandna, who had to stop his speech midway amid sloganeering, later lashed out at Pilot. “If Sachin Pilot becomes the Chief Minister after getting shoes thrown at me, then he should do so quickly because I am not in the mood to fight today. The day I come to fight, only one will be left, and I don’t want this,” he said on Twitter.

In another tweet, Chandna referred to the reservation agitation in 2007-08 when Vasundhara Raje of the BJP was Chief Minister. Stating that he witnessed something unbelievable when people clapped for Rajendra Rathore, “who was part of the cabinet that gave the orders for killing 72 martyrs” Chandna said “shoes were hurled on those whose family members went to jail” during the agitation.  

Notably, Chandna had written to CM Gehlot in May this year asking him to be relieved of his “dishonourable” cabinet post citing interference from the chief minister’s principal secretary. “Honourable Chief Minister, I have a personal request to you, that by freeing me from this cruel ministerial post, the charge of all my departments should be given to Kuldeep Ranka ji, because anyway he is the minister of all the departments. Thank you,” Chandna had tweeted.

Gehlot later termed his outburst as work-related stress.