Rajasthan: Disquiet in Gehlot camp as loyalist threatens agitation over OBC quota issue

The conflict within the Gehlot-loyalist camp, which stood by him through constant rebellion by his bitter rival Sachin Pilot and foiled the central leadership's plan to put him in a national role, is likely to spiral as he faces the pressure to resolve the issue quickly but wants to move cautiously.

Former Rajasthan minister Harish Chaudhary held a press conference to warn against the continued inaction over the matter and issue an ultimatum to the Ashok Gehlot government.

“It has cut into the OBC quota. The quota for former defence personnel should be separate,” Chaudhary, MLA from Baytu in Barmer district, said at a press conference, NDTV reported.

He also met state Congress chief Govind Dotasra with a demand to call a cabinet meeting again to rectify the discrepancies in OBC reservation.

This draws further significance as Chaudhary is Punjab-affairs in charge of the Congress and has a reporting line with the central leadership, which is reportedly unhappy with Gehlot after he defied high command during the Congress presidential election.

Further, Gehlot's leadership has been questioned by his younger rival Sachin Pilot over the delay, as he reiterated the demand that the “climate of indecision be ended”.

On the quota question, Pilot's loyalist MLA Mukesh Bhakar tweeted today: "If the government does not take a quick decision in the interest of OBCs, then the Chief Minister himself will be responsible for the atmosphere that will be created in the state against the government and the party. For me, getting rights to the youth is more important than any post."

In a tweet on Thursday, too, Chaudhary took on Gehlot, telling him that he was ready to fight whatever battle has to be fought on the issue.

In September, Gehlot had tweeted in Hindi that the officials had been directed to even out the anomalies in OBC reservation at the earliest by consulting the matter with the relevant department and legal experts to avoid litigations.