Congress MLA Prashant Bairwa said Sachin Pilot had a big dream (File)
A Congress MLA staying at the resort, where the Ashok Gehlot camp is holed up, on Thursday claimed that dissident leader Sachin Pilot has more "well-wishers" than he thinks.
While insisting that he is still loyal to Ashok Gehlot, Prashant Bairwa made the startling claim that the rebel leader could have enjoyed the support of "40 to 45" MLAs instead of the few he has now.
Mr Bairwa, once considered a Sachin Pilot loyalist, was talking to a news channel when he came out of Jaisalmer's Suryagarh hotel for a health check-up. The Congress MLAs are lodged there ahead of the assembly session commencing on August 14.
The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to topple its government in the state after Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs loyal to him revolted against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Commenting on it, the Congress MLA said those backing Sachin Pilot will be the first to desert him.
"Sachin Pilot had a big team; he had no idea," the MLA said.
"It would have been better had he taken advice from people like us and then, I believe, the number there could have been 40 or 45, not 19. But he did not take advice from us. I think somebody else was playing the game," he added.
"He has his well-wishers here also but it does not mean that we will not vote for the Congress. We will 100 per cent vote for the Congress," the MLA said hinting at the impending floor test.
Mr Bairwa also said the BJP is involved in the crisis in the state.
Mistakes can made by anyone, he said, adding that it is possible that they (dissident) want to come back but are not being allowed.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)