Former Union Minister and BJP MP PP Chaudhary on Monday said the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan is "internal struggle of power politics that has cost the state, which is now lagging in development."
Asked if there is a possibility of Sachin Pilot joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chaudhary quickly said, "We have crores of members in our party. Our doors are open for everyone."
The BJP leader also commented on Pilot's statement of having the support of 30 Congress MLAs. "If he (Pilot) is saying Gehlot government is in minority then we should take his statement seriously," said Chaudhury.
The crisis in Rajasthan Congress intensified with Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot at loggerheads. While Gehlot is blaming BJP for trying to destabilise the state government by poaching MLAs, Pilot is camping in Delhi to speak to the party leadership regarding the political turmoil in the state.
The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has issued a whip to its MLAs to attend a meeting today in Jaipur and will face disciplinary action if they are absent without mentioning a reason, Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande said here today.
Congress has 107 MLAs and the Gehlot government is supported by 10 Independent MLAs and two each from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Tribal Party while BJP has 72 seats in the 200-member Assembly.
As many as 30 Congress MLAs and some independent legislators who are in touch with Sachin Pilot have pledged their support to him and have vouched to stand by whatever decision he takes, sources said.
( With inputs from ANI )