Former aide alleges Gehlot ordered phone tapping of Pilot, rebels during 2020 Rajasthan Congress crisis
- In Reports
- 03:05 PM, Apr 25, 2024
- Myind Staff
Ashok Gehlot, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, faces potential trouble as his former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Lokesh Sharma has made allegations regarding the 2020 party crisis in the state.
According to Sharma, Gehlot ordered the tracking of phones and movements of party rebels, including Sachin Pilot. He further claimed that Gehlot instructed him to circulate recordings of phone calls to the media.
During the 2020 party crisis in the state, Lokesh Sharma, who previously served as an officer on special duty (OSD) to Gehlot, alleged that the former Rajasthan Chief Minister provided recordings of phone calls and instructed him to share them with the media.
Gehlot's office has declined to provide a response to Sharma's allegations. Sources close to Pilot asserted that their stance has been validated. "We consistently maintained that we were not engaging in negotiations with the BJP and remained loyal to the Congress," they affirmed.
Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, the former OSD to Gehlot revealed that he had undergone rigorous questioning by the Crime Branch in Delhi for 8-9 hours concerning the phone tapping case, but had chosen to remain silent until this moment.
Sharma claimed that he was left to face the consequences of the individual responsible for the phone-tapping incident. He stated that Gehlot provided him with phone recordings of Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, late Congress leader Bhanwarlal Sharma, and intermediary Sanjay Jain on a pen drive, directing him to disclose it to the media.
During the briefing, Sharma disclosed that Pilot and his associates' phones were tapped when they planned to address issues with Gehlot's leadership. Gehlot allegedly monitored them after learning of their intentions to approach the Congress high command.
They aimed to show BJP involvement, with Shekhawat portrayed as the main culprit. Pilot stated they felt unheard, leading them to seek the party's high command. Gehlot then allegedly placed them under surveillance.
In 2020, the release of three audio clips led by a person identified as Gajendra Singh (suspected to be Shekhawat), Bhanwarlal Sharma, Sanjay Jain, and another Congress leader Vishvendra Singh sparked a political crisis in Rajasthan. The recordings allegedly discussed plans to topple the Gehlot government, prompting then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to lead a rebellion of 19 Congress MLAs.
Sharma, named in a Delhi FIR following a complaint by BJP leader Shekhawat over the audio recordings, has been summoned and questioned multiple times by the Delhi Police.
Pilot and Gehlot engaged in a power struggle after Congress formed the state government in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led an unsuccessful revolt against Gehlot's government, resulting in his removal from the party's state unit presidency and deputy chief ministership.
Image source: India News
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