Defying the Congress Central leadership’s warning that a sit-in will be consider an anti-party activity, Rajasthan Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Tuesday sat on a fast in Jaipur, piling pressure on his own party by targeting the Ashok Gehlot Government for “inaction” in the alleged corruption cases during the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP’s term.

The day-long fast has not gone down well with the Congress leadership which has summoned Pilot for explanation. On the other hand, backed by the party high command, Pilot’s bête noire Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot released a video on his vision to make Rajasthan the top State by 2030. Gehlot did not make any direct remark on Pilot’s fast. 

“If there is any issue with his own government, it can be discussed at party forums instead of the media and in public. This is clearly anti-party activity. I am in touch with him and I still appeal for dialogue since he is an indisputable asset to the Congress,” said Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rajasthan in-charge at the AICC.

Sources in the AICC said Pilot is likely to be in Delhi to meet Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s first family members — Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka. So far Pilot’s occasional revolt against Gehlot was being contained by Priyanka, but sources said this time the Gandhis did not make any effort. Rahul and Priyanka are in Wayanad, Kerala, the Parliamentary constituency represented by Rahul until his disqualification last month.  

As he left the protest site, Pilot told reporters that Rahul, the Congress and other Opposition parties have united over corruption and financial irregularities, and claimed that his fast will speed up this “movement”.

No ruling party minister or MLA showed up as they were asked by Pilot to keep away. But several other leaders, including former MLAs Santosh Saharan and Ramnarayan Gurjar were present. Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh’s son Anirudh Singh, who recently targeted Rahul for his remarks in the UK, was present at the dharna site. Several workers from Pilot’s constituency Tonk and areas in eastern Rajasthan also came.

Gehlot and his former deputy Pilot have been at loggerheads since 2020 when the latter revolted against Gehlot’s leadership, leading to a month-long political crisis that ended after assurance by the party leadership. including Priyanka Gandhi to look into the issues.

Gehlot later used terms like “gaddar” (traitor), “nakara” (failure) and “nikamma” (worthless) for Pilot, and accused him of being involved with BJP leaders in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government.

Last September, MLAs in the Gehlot camp boycotted a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting and held a parallel meeting to stall what they felt was an attempt to make Pilot the new chief minister. Gehlot was then being considered for the party president’s post.