Gehlot slams door on Pilot, calls him ‘nikamma, nakaara’

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 20 

In by far his fiercest attack on former deputy Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday effectively slammed all doors on the rebel leader calling him “nikamma” (useless) and “nakaara” (worthless).

Even as the state high court hearing on the Pilot camp petitions against Speaker CP Joshi’s disqualification notices is underway, Gehlot on Monday addressed the media and launched a no-holds-barred attack on Pilot, whom the Congress has been laboriously trying to woo back.

That the way home is closed was evident with Gehlot saying that when he would warn against the internal conspiracy to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan no one would believe that Pilot “having an innocent face, good command over English and Hindi and networks with the media across the country can do this.”

“Rajasthan is the only state in the country where no demands were raised from any quarter to change the pradesh Congress committee president in the last seven years. We knew that no work is happening. We knew he is nikamma and nakaara (useless). We still didn’t question him keeping the party interest in mind,” said a livid CM in a manner uncharacteristic of him. Gehlot signalled that he would now go all out to save the government amid a rebellion by Pilot and 18 dissident Congress MLAs.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga levelled serious accusations on Pilot saying he offered money to him to join the BJP before the Rajya Sabha elections.

“I refused,” said Malinga, a former BSP lawmaker, who has switched sides to the Congress.