The Congress in Rajasthan is facing increasing challenges as speculation grows regarding the future plans of its prominent leader Sachin Pilot. According to sources, Pilot is considering launching a new regional political outfit if his demands are not met by the Ashok Gehlot Government.
Pilot’s demands include taking action against alleged corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje Government. He has been waiting for a definitive response from the party’s high command. Speculation is rife that Pilot may provide a clear indication of his future course of action on June 11, the anniversary of his father’s death in Dausa.
“He is awaiting a response from the party leadership; the ball is in their court,” said a source close to him.
The former Union Minister in the Manmohan Singh regime currently has the support of more than 20 MLAs.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, however, ruled out the possibility of Pilot floating a new party. Randhawa, who reached Jaipur late evening, also said that the party will assign responsibilities to Rajasthan leaders according to their stature. “I am hearing this from you, I think there is no such thing. He (Pilot) did not have this in his mind before and does not have it now,” Randhawa told reporters.
Randhawa also said it is the media which is raising the issue.
Randhawa claimed that 90 per cent of the matter was resolved and the rest was also not an issue. When asked about the “formula” to broker peace between Gehlot and Pilot, Randhawa said he will not share it with the media. However, he said that both Gehlot and Pilot know about the formula.
On the party’s plan to give responsibility to Pilot, Randhawa said, “We will definitely do it for everyone and will decide the responsibility of leaders according to their stature,” he added.
Meanwhile, preparations for the commemoration of Rajesh Pilot’s death anniversary, which is held annually, are in full swing in Dausa. The event is being supervised by Minister of State for Agriculture Marketing Murari Lal Meena known to be a close associate of Pilot.
Sources revealed that the recent meeting between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, did not result in any resolution of the “core issues” between the two prominent leaders of the Rajasthan Congress.
Gehlot and his former deputy have been engaged in a power struggle since the Congress formed the Government in the State in 2018. The party is now attempting to broker peace between the two ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections later this year.
While some sources, both within the Congress and close to Pilot, suggest that the former Rajasthan Congress chief may announce the formation of a new party, possibly named Pragatisheel Congress, others indicate that Pilot is solely focused on having his demands met, such as the Gehlot-Government taking action against the alleged corruption during the previous BJP regime and addressing issues concerning the youth, including leaks in Government recruitment examination papers.
Congress has asserted that the party is supreme and will contest the Rajasthan Assembly elections unitedly to emerge victorious. This statement came after Pilot refused to back down from his demands. Following the meetings, the party stated that Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to jointly fight the upcoming Assembly elections and have left all unresolved issues in the hands of the party’s high command.