Jaipur, Jun 15 (IANS): BSP-turned-Congress MLA Sandeep Yadav using the term 'traitor' to describe the Sachin Pilot faction in Rajasthan has not gone down well with the former Deputy CM's camp, which has countered the claims by saying that "these are the people who changed three parties in three years and now they are the ones calling others traitors".

Six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs in Rajasthan, who had defected to the Congress around two years back, extended their full support to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday, and questioned the loyalty of the Sachin Pilot camp, alleging that the latter had tried to topple the state government and hence it should not be rewarded.

Yadav also said that the 19 MLAs who had rebelled against Gehlot were 'traitors', as the government was about to fall because of them.

Reacting to Yadav's remark, Congress MLAs Mukesh Bhakar and Rakesh Pareek, both from the Pilot camp, said, "They are now calling Congress workers traitors. These are the same people who were lathicharged for their party's sake."

"On whose behalf are these former BSP MLAs commenting," the duo asked while addressing a press conference here.

"Only time will tell who stands with whom. The BSP turncoats who joined the Congress are now teaching us the lesson of self-respect and are talking of saving the government.

"These are the people who are hungry for power. The Congress had won 100 seats and hence they are here. Had the BJP won 100 seats, they would have been with them," the Congress leaders added.

Earlier, another ex-BSP MLA, Rajendra Guda, said that the Congress high command will have to identify the 'real' and 'fake' leaders.

"We are the real ones who had saved the government. The high command will have to understand that instead of listening to the 19 MLAs who betrayed the party, it should listen to us," he said.