Gehlot vs Pilot: Congress tries to reduce the tussle – ‘will fight in unity’

The Congress on Thursday said the party is supreme and will fight the Rajasthan assembly polls unitedly to emerge victorious, a claim that came a day after former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot refused his demands for the Ashok Gehlot government to act against corruption. Is. Speaking in his constituency Tonk, Pilot said on Wednesday that action would have to be taken on the issues he had raised, especially on corruption in the previous BJP regime.

Referring to the cancellation of government jobs exams after the paper leak, Pilot had said, “I think there is no possibility of any kind of compromise as far as getting justice to the youth is concerned.” When asked about his remarks and the growing tension in the Rajasthan unit, Congress General Secretary, Communications, Jairam Ramesh said, “On May 29, the Congress President met Chief Minister Gehlot, Mr. Sachin Pilot in the presence of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, General Secretary in-charge of Rajasthan, and discussed all the issues in detail.

He affirmed unity, solidarity, determination to fight the elections unitedly, he said. Ramesh said, “We will come back with a solid mandate in Rajasthan. Whatever was discussed on May 29 will be carried forward.” He said, “We have seen what happened in Karnataka… We have seen the kind of election campaign conducted by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). I am sure that like the people of Karnataka, the people of Rajasthan will also answer the Prime Minister.” Gave it to him,” he said. “Party is supreme, we will fight this election unitedly and we will win,” he added.

The infighting in the Rajasthan unit of the Congress escalated a few weeks ago with demands for action by the state government against “corruption” during the previous Vasundhara Raje government. Sources had said that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had separate marathon discussions with Gehlot and Pilot on Monday to defuse the tension. They later clicked photographs at Kharge’s 10 Rajaji Marg residence. After the meetings, the party had said that Chief Minister Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming assembly elections unitedly and left all issues to be resolved by the party high command.

Addressing reporters after the meeting earlier this week, Venugopal had said, “Both leaders Ashok ji and Sachin ji had agreed to the proposal on these things.” Asked which resolution he was talking about, Venugopal had said, “Both have left it to the (party) high command.” Sources close to Pilot said the demands he has raised, especially with regard to action against alleged corruption during the previous Raje government, remain unresolved. He had said that the pilots are firm on their demands and will continue to press for the issues raised by them if the Gehlot government does not act on them after the meeting.

Gehlot and Pilot have been fighting for power ever since the Congress formed the government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a rebellion against the Gehlot government, following which he was removed from the posts of the party’s state unit president and deputy chief minister. , Last year, the high command’s attempt to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan failed when Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place. Pilot had last month defied a warning from the party and went on a day-long fast, targeting Gehlot over his “inaction” on alleged corruption.