Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday publicly challenged former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to produce a single piece of evidence supporting his long-running claim that a conspiracy was hatched to topple the Congress government during the 2020 Rajasthan political crisis. Shekhawat made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Jodhpur, sharpening the political confrontation between the two leaders ahead of continued state-level sparring.

The Core Challenge

Shekhawat directly contested Gehlot's repeated references to a 'coup attempt,' saying the former chief minister had spent years making the allegation without backing it up. 'If there was a conspiracy to topple his government, let him place even a single proof before the public,' Shekhawat said.

He also invoked Gehlot's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Lokesh Sharma, stating that Sharma himself had said that if anyone worked to destabilise the government, it was Gehlot. Shekhawat alleged that the former chief minister had his own legislators' phone conversations recorded and subsequently blamed political rivals for the resulting discord. 'He hatches conspiracies, gets his own MLAs' phones tapped and then blames others. He should introspect instead of accusing everyone else,' he said.

Jodhpur Development and Water Crisis

Shekhawat broadened his attack beyond the 2020 political episode, accusing Gehlot of stalling Jodhpur's development and mismanaging Rajasthan's water resources. Responding to Gehlot's recent remarks on the city's water crisis, Shekhawat said the former chief minister had 'committed the sin of pushing Jodhpur backwards' and held him solely responsible for the poor drinking water situation across the state.

'The people of Jodhpur have not forgotten the days when they had to dig pits and use motors to draw water,' Shekhawat said, alleging that the Jal Jeevan Mission was turned into 'a victim of rampant corruption' under the previous Congress administration.

Jal Shakti Allocation and Corruption Allegations

Shekhawat, who served as Union Jal Shakti Minister, claimed that Rajasthan received the highest resource allocation in the country during his tenure. He alleged, however, that the Gehlot government converted the implementation process into what he described as a 'hub of corruption,' allowing ministers and legislators a free hand to misuse public funds. He further alleged that Gehlot ignored wrongdoing by close associates.

Elevated Road Project Dispute

The minister also disputed Gehlot's claim of credit for the Jodhpur elevated road project, alleging instead that the former chief minister had actively tried to delay and obstruct its construction. 'Gehlot claims credit for the elevated road, but today I am revealing that he hatched every possible conspiracy to stall its construction. I can prove that there were efforts to delay and even stop the project,' Shekhawat said.

He argued that such statements were being made purely for political mileage, adding: 'The people of Jodhpur gave him a mandate for 15 years. Yet if anyone is guilty of holding Jodhpur back in terms of development, it is Ashok Gehlot.' The exchange marks a fresh escalation in the ongoing political rivalry between the two leaders, with the 2020 crisis — which saw a rebellion within the Rajasthan Congress — continuing to serve as a flashpoint.