Jaipur: In what could be called a political slugfest, Rajasthan Sports Minister Ashok Chandna on Monday launched a scathing attack on former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot soon after a shoe was hurled at him, allegedly by the latter’s supporter, at a mass meeting attended by both BJP and Congress leaders.
In his tweet, Chandna said: “If Sachin Pilot becomes the chief minister by throwing a shoe at me, then he should be made soon because today I do not feel like fighting. The day I come to fight, then only one will be left and I do not want this.”
The shoe-hurling incident was reported during an event organised to mark the immersion of the ashes of Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla, a Gurjar leader who launched several agitations in Rajasthan for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions
Many senior leaders were present on the occasion which included BJP MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, BJP state president Satish Poonia, Congress MLA and Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat, and Sports Minister Ashok Chandna.
However, Pilot, who comes from the Gurjar community, was not present on the occasion.
As soon as Congress leaders got on the dais, Pilot’s supporters in the crowd started hooting and raising “Sachin Pilot Zindabad” slogans.
However, the footwear did not reach the dais due to the distance.
Police had to be called in to control the situation. Meanwhile, Chandna had to leave the dais and return amid the ruckus. CM’s son Vaibhav Gehlot did not get a chance to speak.
Following the incident, Chandna tweeted: “Today a wonderful sight was seen- When Rajendra Rathod, (then cabinet member) who ordered the killing of 72 persons came on the stage, was applauded and shoes were thrown at those whose family members went to jail during the ‘Gurjar reservation’ agitation.”
