Cong asks 19 rebels to first leave BJP's hospitality to hold dialogue

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and party's spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who is camping in Rajasthan as the party's emissary to save the Ashok Gehlot government from ongoing political crisis, has asked all 19 dissident party members of the Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLAs) to leave the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) hospitality and security of the Haryana Police, if they want to hold a dialogue with the party.

"They (dissident MLAs) should first leave the hospitality of the BJP and security of the Haryana government, if they want to hold a dialogue. They should break their friendship with the BJP and ghar wapasi karein (return home)," he said while responding to a question whether the doors are open for 19 Congress rebel lawmakers, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

Surjewala was speaking to reporters outside Hotel Suryagarh in Jaisalmer, where the Congress MLAs have been camping since the last Friday.

While hitting out at the Haryana government, the Congress leader alleged that the innocent children are being murdered, women are gang-raped and people are beaten up in Haryana but there is no police protection available for them.

"But for 19 MLAs, around 1,000 police personnel have been deployed. The BJP is providing security to dissident Congress MLAs. What does this mean?" he asked.

He also took an exception to the Bihar Police's alleged interference in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide in Mumbai on June 14. He said that the probe must be conducted under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Police.

"The constitution and law uphold that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state government. Bihar government and its police cannot forcefully take action in other states. Such an action will lead to anarchy," he said.