"What has happened is in the past now": Jairam Ramesh on Dhariwal's candidature
Nov 16, 2023
Kota (Rajasthan) [India], November 16 : Days after Congress fielded Ashok Gehlot loyalist Shanti Dhariwal from the Kota North assembly seat in Rajasthan, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communication, Jairam Ramesh said that what happened is in the past.
"Dhariwal is our candidate from Congress and it is our responsibility to support him. What happened is in the past now. Let those who write history, write," Ramesh said speaking to reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
Ramesh said that the Congress had announced ticket distribution after a lot of thought and there were some "different views" on "some seats".
"We had announced ticket distribution after a lot of thought. Today Rahul has started campaigning in the state. Kharge and Priyanka will come and had come earlier as well. There were different views on some seats and a collective strategy was formulated. All are united to bring the Congress party to power," he said.
Dhariwal was one of the senior state leaders against whom the party's disciplinary committee had issued notices in the past. These leaders did not attend a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party in the state. Instead, they had held a parallel meeting of MLAs at Dhariwal's residence.
This was when there were talks about appointing Ashok Gehlot as the Congress party president which implied a leadership change in the state.
Speaking about the face of the Rajasthan elections, the senior Congress leader said, "In every election, we have only face. The Congress has one face in this election, that is the organisation."
On the priorities for the party in Rajasthan, he said, "The challenge and our priority is campaigning now and receiving people's mandate. We are confident that we will win. After we win, the MLAs will meet, discuss with the high command, and form the government here."
Speaking on the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, he said, "Ashok Gehlot has written many letters about the ERCP. Rahul Gandhi has also spoken on this issue before and after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is the Chief Minister's demand to designate it as a "national" project."
Rajasthan is set to undergo assembly polls on November 25 and the counting of votes will be done on December 3. The BJP won 163 seats in the 2013 Legislative Assembly elections and formed the government in Rajasthan.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member House. Gehlot eventually took the oath as CM with the support of BSP MLAs and Independents.
