Disgruntled senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday once again declared an “open war” against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, second within a month’s time.
He said the recent speech by the Congress veteran (Gehlot) indicated that his real leader is BJP’s Vasundhara Raje Scindia and not Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Mounting pressure on Gehlot and the party’s central leadership in the run-up to the Assembly polls, Pilot also announced a “Jan Sangharsh Yatra” over “corruption” and the recent cases of leaking of papers for State Government recruitment exams. The 125-km “Jan Sangharsh Yatra” will begin from Ajmer, where the State’s Public Service Commission (RPSC) is located, on May 11 and end five days later in Jaipur.
Pilot held a one-day fast last month in Jaipur over “inaction” by own party’s government on alleged corruption during the previous BJP tenure in the State.
In the continuing tussle between the two leaders, Gehlot had on Sunday recalled the rebellion against him by Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs in 2020.
The CM said he survived because BJP leaders Raje and Kailash Meghwal refused to support a conspiracy to topple an elected Government through money power.
Pilot rejected the charge that the dissidents — whom he had led — took any money from the BJP. The Congress leader also reminded that he is the one asking Gehlot to probe charges of “corruption” during Raje’s tenure as the Rajasthan Chief Minister. He pointed at the “contradiction” in what Gehlot is claiming — that the BJP had conspired to topple his Government and at the same time Raje helped save it. “This is a contradiction and it should be explained what you want to say exactly,” he said.
“After listening to the CM’s speech in Dholpur, it appears that his leader is not Sonia, his leader is Raje Scindia,” he told reporters.
His Press conference took place the day former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the State, attending a training camp for party workers in Mount Abu. A Rajasthan Minister, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, also appeared to contradict Gehlot on Tuesday, saying the Government survived because 102 Congress MLAs in Rajasthan had faith in Rahul and Sonia.
Targeting Gehlot over the claim of money changing hands during the 2020 revolt, Pilot said it is wrong to make allegations against leaders from one’s own party. “It is condemnable. I deny the false and baseless allegations.” The Congress leader said if there was any evidence, action should have already been taken by the CM. “There is no point in making such accusations. Even after being abused, I did not break the party discipline and am not breaking it even today. It is easy to accuse, but it is difficult to answer the public,” he said.
The MLAs against whom the CM made the charges were senior leaders who have been in public life for over 30 years, Pilot said. As examples, he named Hemaram Chaudhary and Brijendra Ola, who are now part of the Gehlot Ministry.
Pilot said he had been writing letters for a year and half demanding an investigation into corruption during Raje’s tenure.
“It is clear from the CM’s speech in Dholpur on why no action is being taken, and why it won’t happen,” he said, in an apparent reference to Gehlot mentioning Raje’s “help”.
Pilot said the planned yatra is not against anyone. “This is on the issue of corruption, this is for the youth who are disappointed due to repeated paper leak cases,” he said.
He referred to the boycott in September of a Congress Legislature Party meeting by a majority of the state Congress MLAs, in an apparent show of strength for Gehlot. The pro-Gehlot MLAs, apprehending that the CLP meeting was meant to install Pilot as the new chief minister, had then reportedly submitted their resignations. Pilot called the episode an “insult” to Sonia Gandhi, saying the meeting had been called on her directions. This was the real “indiscipline” and “betrayal”. People will raise questions “if you insult her”, he said.
He seemed to draw a parallel between the chief minister’s claim about BJP “support” for the 2020 rebellion and the resignations in September. “Many people allege that the resignations were made at the behest of (Narendra) Modi and (Amit) Shah. If I say such things from this platform now, would it behove me?” he said.
Pilot said he has been called ‘corona’, ‘gaddar’ (traitor) and ‘nikamma’ (worthless), but the sequence of events reveals who “strengthened” and who is “weakening” the party.
He said some people want to weaken the Congress party and indulge in “character assassination”, but that would not be allowed to happen. The month-long crisis in 2020 ended with the intervention of the party high command, but infighting in its Rajasthan unit continues to embarrass the party.
Pilot’s sharp rejoinder to Gehlot’s remarks this time comes a day before polling in the Karnataka Assembly elections, in which the Congress is being seen as a strong contender.
