Jaipur, June 25 -- Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday defended his controversial remark comparing defecting legislators to livestock, clarifying that the comment was never aimed at elected representatives in general but specifically at those who "sell" their political loyalty for crores of rupees. Responding to media questions, Gehlot rejected criticism from Rajasthan BJP state president Madan Rathore, who had accused the Congress veteran of making 'baseless allegations' despite what Rathore called rampant corruption during Gehlot's own tenure. "I read his statement and frankly it was bizarre and hard to understand," Gehlot said. He pushed back against Rathore's objection that he had insulted elected public representatives by calling them "horses and donkeys." "I did not say this about ordinary public representatives. I used this word only for those who have been sold, or are being sold," Gehlot clarified. He went on to explain the specific context: "MLAs and MPs who betray public trust and sell their loyalty for 10 crore, 25 crore or 50 crore rupees - for them I used four words: 'saleable horses, donkeys, buffaloes and goats.'" The former chief minister asked, "What exactly is wrong with that?" He argued that voters place their trust in candidates and cast their "precious vote" to send them to the legislature, only for some to switch sides once lured by money. To back his statement, Gehlot cited recent political defections in Maharashtra, where he claimed that of Shiv Sena's 28 Lok Sabha MPs, 20 switched sides, and of 80 MLAs, 60 changed allegiance - with six more out of eight MPs reportedly defecting just a day earlier. "People who sell themselves like this cannot be worshipped," he said. Gehlot further alleged that Rathore's criticism was less about substance and more about political optics, suggesting the BJP leader was "trying this kind of rhetoric only to please his seniors sitting in Delhi and to boost his own standing." On the Yamuna water-sharing talks, he welcomed the chief minister's renewed meeting in Delhi but reiterated his long-standing promise to personally garland the chief minister if Yamuna water actually reaches Rajasthan, stressing that "real concern is with water reaching the ground, not just meetings." He also voiced support for chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma continuing in his post amid speculation of a cabinet reshuffle. He called him "a good man, courteous in his dealings," and raised concerns over alleged RSS-aligned appointments in institutions like the RPSC and the Board of Secondary Education, linking it to a broader national pattern he said undermines constitutional and democratic values....