Rajasthan BJP leader Rajendra Rathore: ‘Kuldeep Bishnoi joined us, Amarinder Singh, Sunil Jakhar did… So if someone (Sachin Pilot) joins, it won’t be an unusual occurrence.’

Till date, in the history of Rajasthan, there hasn’t been antarvirodh (internal discord) in the ruling party in this manner. This (Congress) government was born under antarvirodh, and its end will be due to antarvirodh. People sitting in the government have weakened the head of government so much that the Chief Minister has to do mijaaz pursi (inquire the mood) of his MLAs daily, and come up with an action plan each week to save his government. Hence, the development and governance under this government is paralysed.

You tweeted that the resignations submitted by the Congress MLAs is not as per rules.

As per section 173 of the Rules of Procedure of Rajasthan Assembly, there is a set proforma. If someone wants to resign, they have to submit their resignation in that format. However, the resignations are not as per the format so it is up to the Speaker’s discretion.

If the resignation letter is by post, then the Speaker can inquire from the MLAs. Rules say that the Speaker should consider the consent (of the MLA). So when they have given their consent by submitting the letters in person, the Speaker can accept the resignations.

In an interview to The Indian Express, former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani said that when he was asked to resign as the CM by the BJP high command last year, he did so with a smiling face. How do you compare it with Rajasthan’s developments?

Till date, in national parties it is the Parliamentary Board which decides who will become the CM or who will be removed as the CM. BJP is a disciplined party and hence you would have seen that there was a big change in Gujarat but not even a single leaf got ruffled. And in Congress, for long the CMs have been decided as per the wishes of the Gandhi family.

But it is for the first time that envoys sent by the Gandhi family have been insulted. The tradition so far has been that the high command decides and the MLAs accept. When the present Assembly was constituted, in their (Congress’s) first Legislature Party meet too, a three-line resolution was passed that the CM will be the one whom the Gandhi family wishes, whom Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi wish. When they decided to appoint, it was accepted. Now when they wanted to remove, it was challenged.

The Congress claims it is their internal democracy, hence one gets to hear multiple voices. And that it is not so in the BJP, citing the presidential election.

This is a Congress dhakosla (sham). It is a non-Gandhi (election) only but has landed into such a mess. Talks of Ashok Gehlot filing his nomination surfaced only because the Gandhi family gave its consent.

But (they are) taking a U turn now because Ashok Gehlot has betrayed their trust. Now Gehlot’s days as a politician are numbered because now he is their target. In the BJP, from booth committee and mandal committee, all elections are held as per rules.

Yet again, Sachin Pilot could not become the CM so far.

When we were in power, and there was a struggle on the roads to seek power, it was Sachin Pilot who fought. But in a conspiratorial manner, he was kept away from the Chief Minister’s post. And this time, there were discussions and a consensus, which was accepted by Ashok Gehlot too. However, behind the scenes, Gehlot provoked his MLAs and laid thorns in his (Pilot’s) path.

Since 2020, he (Pilot) has not said a single word while he has been continuously insulted and called nirlaj, nalayak, nikamma, ragdai nahi hui (shameless, good for nothing, useless, indolent). But he has tolerated all of it. So I salute his sehenshakti (tolerance).

Are BJP’s doors open for Sachin Pilot?

It is the high command which decides who will join the party or not. But ours is a mass base party with cadre. Under a mass base party, people join. You would have seen that recently, (former Congress MLA) Kuldeep Bishnoi joined, (former Congress CM) Captain Amarinder Singh and (former Punjab Congress president) Sunil Jakhar have joined too. So if someone joins, it won’t be an unusual occurrence.

If Pilot is made the Congress CM, will he break the cycle of BJP-Congress governments being elected alternately in the state?

Now whether Sachin Pilot is made the CM, or both Gehlot and Pilot are made the CM through an amendment brought in the Assembly, Congress is heading towards its worst electoral loss yet. The bad governance of the last four years, the crumbling law and order, the suspended development…people will overthrow this government.

Is the BJP in a wait and watch mode or will it try to engineer early elections? Who will be the CM face?

See, we are an alert Opposition. We will take a decision only after looking at the changing circumstances. In 2020, they had an internal rift but were blaming us. Even now it is an internal rift. So if the Speaker accepts their resignations following this internal rift, then the BJP will put forth its voice when there’s a constitutional crisis…And (BJP’s face in the polls will be) kamal ka phool (the party’s poll symbol).

It is said that Gehlot as president is still the best option for the Congress. Do you think he should still run for the post?

They (Congress) talk of internal democracy; once they have decided that he (Gehlot) should file his nomination, then he should file. Turning him down now means that there is no internal democracy in Congress. The decisions are taken and changed according to the wishes of a few. But if Congress indeed has internal democracy, then he should file his nomination.