Ashok Gehlot: Want to leave CM's post, but it's not leaving me

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, he, however, said that there would be something in him that the party high command had chosen him to lead the state thrice but any decision taken by the leadership going forward would be acceptable to all.

“A woman once told me that, god willing, you should become chief minister for the fourth time. So, I told her that I want to leave the post of chief minister, but this post is not leaving me, and probably may not leave me ever,” Gehlot said.

However, he insisted, any decision on the top post in the state will be taken by the leadership going forward and would be acceptable to all.

In the Congress party, he said, those whose names are floated for the chief ministership never become one.

Don’t punish Vasundhara Raje

Gehlot also said that his bete noire and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje should not be punished by the BJP because of him, saying it would be "injustice" towards her. He was referring to his remarks on Raje when his Congress government was under threat following a rebellion in 2020.

On the 2020 revolt led by Sachin Pilot, Gehlot said he has adopted the policy of "forgive and forget" and has moved on. The senior leader asserted he has not opposed giving tickets to Pilot's supporters for the November 25 assembly polls.

"After Sonia Gandhi became (Congress) president, the first decision she took was to make Ashok Gehlot the chief minister. She took this decision after giving it a lot of thought. I was not the chief ministerial candidate and in the Congress it is good not to be the chief ministerial candidate as the one whose name does the rounds never becomes the chief minister," he said.

He said the party lost the elections after his five years in office, but he was made chief minister two more times when opportunities came.

"How many chief ministers in the country have the courage to say that they want to leave the post but the post is not leaving them? Even today, I am saying it, I want to leave this post but the post is not leaving me, and probably may not leave me in future," he asserted.

Stressing he made the "post-is-not-leaving-me" remark in a lighter vein, Gehlot said the high command had shown a lot of confidence in him and there may be some reasons that the Gandhi family, which has kept the Congress united, chose him to be the chief minister thrice.

Gehlot said Rahul Gandhi is the only leader fighting Narendra Modi and hence it is the duty of all to strengthen his hands to save the country instead of talking about any post. "That is my priority. If the party takes any decision that is acceptable to all of us."

Last August too, Gehlot had said the same in Jaipur. “It comes to my mind that I should quit the (CM's) post — why I should quit is a mystery — but this post is not leaving me,” he had said. “Whatever decision the high command takes is acceptable to me. It takes courage to say that I want to leave but this position is not allowing me to leave.”

‘No feud in party’

Asked about speculation of differences within the party over the grant of tickets, Gehlot said, "There are no differences whatsoever. All decisions are taken with unanimity." "The opposition (BJP) is upset as to why there are no fights happening in our ranks. You must be pointing towards Sachin Pilot. All the decisions are being made after taking into account everyone's opinion. I am participant to the decisions taken in favour of Sachin Pilot's supporters. So, decisions are being taken smoothly, that's why only the BJP would be feeling the pain," the chief minister said.

When persisted with the ticket question, Gehlot said that in the midst of the rebellion, "we (Congress leaders and MLAs) had stayed in a hotel for 40 days and all the differences were resolved with the high command's intervention." "When I had come out of the hotel, my first statement was 'forgive and forget'. We will work with that sentiment," he said, adding the past bitterness is forgotten.

“We want to fight the polls unitedly," he said, asserting winnability was the only criterion for granting tickets.

“We are all united. The people who had gone with him (Pilot), their tickets have mostly been cleared. What bigger example can there be? I have not even objected on one ticket, so you can imagine the love between us," he said.

Gehlot, whose government had faced a rebellion led by his former deputy Sachin Pilot in 2020, said he has adopted the policy of "forgive and forget" and has moved on. He asserted that he has not opposed grant of any party tickets to Pilot's supporters.

Taking strong objection to the raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department against opposition leaders, he sought the prime minister's intervention to stop them immediately as the model code was in force.

He also urged the Election Commission to intervene in the matter since elections to five states had already been declared.

Rajasthan polls would take place on November 25 and votes would be counted on December 3.

(With inputs from agencies)