Cong flays BJP for 'conspiring' to topple Gehlot govt

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) As the last word is yet to be said on the political crisis faced by the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, the Congress on Friday flayed the BJP for "hatching a conspiracy" to bring down the party's government in the desert state.

The Congress claim was made in the wake of release of three audio clips in which Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is allegedly talking with Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma and BJP leader Sanjay Jain of Jaipur on the issue of toppling the Gehlot government. The SOG in Rajasthan has since booked the three in the case.

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill told IANS: "These audio tapes prove that even during the lockdown, the BJP was hatching a conspiracy to bring down the Congress government in the state, instead of focusing on how to tackle the coronavirus in the country."

"The BJP central leadership is the main accused in this entire episode as the design, infrastructure and money power have been provided from the BJP warehouse built to lure and stock opposition MLAs," Shergill remarked.

He said that with the release of the audio tapes, two things are clear -- as far as BJP is concerned, old habits die hard; and secondly, its leaders cannot give up their addiction to undertake 'Operation Kamal' every year in some or the other state.

The Congress has claimed that the audio tapes are the direct proof of the BJP's "now-failed sinister plan" and their involvement in the bid to hijack the Congress government.

Shergill asserted that the Congress government led by Gehlot is "as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar" and that the BJP along with rebel MLAs in Rajasthan have been caught red- handed while attempting to "murder democracy and insult the popular mandate".

The FIR against Shekhawat and two others was filed on the basis of a complaint by Congress whip Mahesh Joshi soon after the three audio clips with alleged conversations on toppling of the Gehlot government were released by the ruling party.

Earlier in the morning, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had called a presser and accused the BJP of trying to topple the state government by indulging in horse- trading.

Surjewala said that "this is a black day in democracy and it's now proven that the BJP indulged in dislodging of an elected government".

Shekhawat has denied the voice on any of the tapes is his while a BJP leader claimed the audio clips were doctored.