All Rajasthan Ministers Resign; Is A Crisis Brewing In Rajasthan?

Jaipur: Every minister of the Rajasthan state government resigned on Saturday evening. Is another crisis brewing in a Congress-headed state?

A PTI report, quoting Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachariya, said that the reason for the mass resignation is because a Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards.

The ministers resigned after a meeting of the Rajasthan cabinet at chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence which began at 7 pm. The oath-taking ceremony of the new council of ministers is likely to be held on Sunday.

All eyes will be on Sachin Pilot and the role he is given.

The clamour for a reshuffle had been growing ever since former deputy chief minister Pilot’s camp wanted that its supporters to be inducted in the government.

Differences between Pilot and Gehlot are an open secret. The Pilot faction, in fact, had been hoping for the Congress high command to appoint him as chief minister before the Rajasthan Assembly polls in two years’ time.

Pilot was removed from his post of deputy CM after he had led a rebellion of 19 Congress MLAs last year. The crisis was resolved after the party’s high command brokered peace between the two factions.

But even though 15 months have passed since that truce, Pilot’s loyalists have not been included in Gehlot’s cabinet.

There could be some fireworks on Sunday, a la Punjab where Captain Amarinder Singh had to resign as chief minister two months ago.