Won’t distance myself from Raj till last breath, CM clears air

Kota : Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said he won’t distance himself from the state “till his last breath”, amid reports that he is the frontrunner for the Congress president’s post. He also said that efforts will be made till the last moment to persuade Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the party again. The Chief Minister was in the Kota-Bundi region to take stock of the devastation caused by the floods in Hadoti region. On being asked about the issue of Congress MLAs opening a front against their own government regarding the Jalore incident, He said, “Everyone has the right to speak in a democracy. There is freedom of speech, but party people should not cross the Lakshman Rekha. This harms the party as well as their interests.”

Terming it party’s internal matter, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Thursday asserted that democracy exists in the grand old party and if Rahul Gandhi is reluctant than Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot can become the party chief. “This is an internal matter of the party. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t want to be the party president, this is coming to light through the media. If Ashok Gehlot becomes the party chief, there is no problem. There is democracy in Congress,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.