Gehlot became CM when he was of Pilot’s age, says Rajasthan minister

Jaipur : Amid the ongoing political tussle in Rajasthan Congress, state minister Rajendra Singh Gudha on Monday took a dig at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that the latter became the Chief Minister for the first time when he was about the same age as Sachin Pilot is now.

“At that time, many leaders, including Parasram Maderna and Navalkishore Sharma, were sidelined and he was made the CM with the passing of a one-line proposal. And Gehlot did a good job during his first tenure as CM because he was young at that time,” Gudha said.

Gehlot was appointed as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the first time in 1998. He was 47 then, while Pilot is 45 now.

Gudha was retaliating to Gehlot’s statement on Monday advising the young lobby to stay patient.

In an indirect attack on Pilot, Gehlot said: “Those who got posts without working hard are creating ruckus in the country. When the good days of Congress will come, their days will also be good. No one can stop them, as opportunities will come. But the more you hurry, the more you will stumble.”

Gehlot was interacting with the media at the state Congress headquarters here after voting for the Congress Presidential elections.

Gehlot said, “The youth can work hard, but there can be no substitute for experience. Be it village, town or party, everything is based on experience.”

Gudha said that just like one cannot sideline experience, the youth cannot be sidelined either.

“Adi Shankaracharya made a mark for himself at the age of 33. Swami Vivekananda left the world at the age of 39. The youth have always given results,” he said.

Gudha also claimed that Pilot’s time will come soon.

“Pilot will become the Chief Minister. After the Congress Presidential polls, Pilot’s time will come. The leaders who were saying earlier that they will not obey the party high command, are apologising today,” Gudha.