Rajasthan: BTP to back Gehlot government; Raje slams Congress over its infighting

Jaipur: The Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) supports the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, the two MLAs of the regional party said in a joint press conference with state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara on Saturday.

BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad asserted that their party's president and other leaders have agreed on extending support to the Gehlot government on the condition that demands related to development of the state are fulfilled.

The party had on Monday issued a whip asking Roat and Ramprasad to be neutral and neither support the Congress nor the BJP. It had also told them to neither support Chief Minister Gehlot nor Sachin Pilot in case of a floor test in the assembly.

"BTP MLAs and their party leaders held discussions with the chief minister. They were already with us and have reassured their support to the Ashok Gehlot government," Dotasara said at the press conference outside a hotel on the Delhi highway where the Congress has kept MLAs amid the political crisis.

The MLAs were shifted to Hotel Fairmont on Monday soon after a Congress legislature party meeting, where Congress lawmakers expressed support for Gehlot and only indirectly referred to Pilot, whose rebellion threatens the state government. Pilot was stripped of the posts of Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and the party's state unit president on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Gehlot tweeted informing about the support by the BTP.

He tweeted a photo with the BTP's MLAs and office bearers giving him a demand letter, and said that they have announced to support the government.

"We had supported the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections (last month) on the condition that our demands related to the development of our areas will be met. We have again held discussions with the chief minister on those demands and we have been assured that the demands will be fulfilled," BTP MLA Roat said.

He said that the BTP president had issued a whip directing them to stay neutral but now the party is in support of the government.

Roat, who recently issued two videos alleging that policemen were not allowing him to go from his Jaipur MLA residence to his constituency in Dungarpur district, said it happened due to misunderstanding by the police.

"I do not know what they had in mind. They said it was a misunderstanding. It's okay now," he said.

In the videos, one police inspector was seen taking away the keys from his car, which was surrounded by two police vans.

Ramprasad said that the BTP is against any attempt to topple an elected government. "We are into issue-based politics. Toppling an elected government by BJP is not fair,” he said, while reaffirming support to the Gehlot government.

Raje slams Congress

In her first reaction on the political crisis in the state, BJP leader and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje said on Saturday that it is unfortunate that the people of Rajasthan are paying for the discord within the Congress, .

The interest of people must be paramount for the government, Raje said while asking the ruling Congress to think about the public. "There is no point in trying to drag the BJP and the BJP leaders names through the mud. It is the interest of our people that must remain paramount!" she said.