Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Saturday expressed concern over elected governments being “toppled through horse-trading”, telling Supreme Court and HC judges at an event in Jaipur they would “have met some other chief minister today” had his government not somehow overcome the 2020 crisis.
“It was a matter of touch-and-go,” he said, in an obvious reference to the existential threat his government faced in 2020 due to a rebellion led by his then deputy Sachin Pilot.
Chief Minister Gehlot has since alleged that BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was also behind the attempt to topple the Congress government.
“I don’t know how my government survived. I would not have been standing before you today. You would have met some other chief minister today. It was a matter of touch-and-go,” he said.
The chief minister also said the situation in the country is worrisome as elected governments are being “toppled through horse-trading”.
“State governments are being overthrown. Goa, Manipur, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra. This ‘Tamasha’ is going on. Is there democracy if elected governments are overthrown by horse-trading,” he said.
At the event, he also deprecated attacks on Supreme Court justices over their observations against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammad, saying an “issue” was created when the two judges expressed their views.
He was referring to the observations made by a Supreme Court bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Surya Kant which had on July 1 rebuked MS Sharma for her “disturbing” remarks against the Prophet Mohammad.
The bench had said Ms Sharma’s remarks led to unfortunate incidents and ignited emotions across the country.
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