After a six-month lull, tension erupted in Rajasthan Congress on Sunday as senior leader Sachin Pilot took aim at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, accusing him of sitting on corruption cases against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government and announcing a daylong protest on Tuesday to demand action on these cases. The Congress’s central leadership termed the timing of Pilot’s outburst as “not appropriate” but added that it would talk to Gehlot about the allegations raised by the former Deputy CM.
The fresh fusillade by Pilot who has been nursing chief Ministerial ambitions for a long time has put the Congress high command in a spot of bother, especially since it comes at a time when the leadership is engaged in a bitter tussle with the BJP-led Central government on issues such as the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha MP and the Gautam Adani episode.
The leadership’s attention is also fixed on the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka. The high command, which is engaged in talks with other Opposition parties to forge a united anti-BJP front, is keen not to let any issue, organisational or otherwise, distract it from pressing matters — such as the Adani saga — on which it can corner the ruling party.
When contacted, All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa told The Indian Express that he believes the timing of Pilot’s press conference was not appropriate, but said he would travel to Jaipur either on Monday or Tuesday to meet Gehlot and ask him “why action was not taken in cases against Raje.”
“I must have met Pilot 10-15 times since I became AICC in-charge of Rajasthan but he has not once mentioned this issue to me,” said Randhawa. “He has discussed several other issues with me. He has not once told me he had raised the issue of corruption when he was the president … he was Deputy Chief Minister as well for one and a half years but no action was taken. He said in the press conference that he had told the in-charge too but I can tell you nothing was discussed with me.”
The AICC leader went on to say, “Nevertheless, the issue that he has raised, the issue of corruption, we have been raising the issue of Adani, we have been talking about Nirav Modi and others … So, there should be an inquiry. I will go to Jaipur either tomorrow evening or Tuesday … I will talk to the Chief Minister. Pilot has said he has written two letters. Wo letter bi mangvayenge, CM se baat karenge. Nikaliye bhai kyun nahin aapne kiya. (Will ask for those letters to be produced, will talk to the CM about why no action was taken).”
“Pilot was also Deputy Chief Minister for one and a half years,” said Randhawa. “Us time main kya kiya, kya nahin kiya (what happened during that time, what did not happen), we will look at all that, we will talk,” he said.
The AICC leader said the timing of the press conference was not appropriate. “See the party is preoccupied with (agitating over) Rahul ji’s disqualification. We are holding press conferences every day, mobilising workers … In my view, it was not the right time … Firstly, he has not spoken to me about this issue. But there are big leaders. He could have spoken to them. Nevertheless, I will go and speak to both of them.”
The high command also issued a terse statement virtually endorsing Gehlot’s leadership. “The Congress government in Rajasthan with Ashok Gehlot as CM has implemented a large number of schemes and taken many new initiatives that have impacted the people profoundly,” said Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh. “This has given the state a leadership position in governance in our country. The Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan was an outstanding success made possible by the dedication and determination of the party organisation in the state. Later in the year, the Congress will seek a renewed mandate from the people on the strength of these landmark achievements and the collective efforts of our organisation.”
The statement made no mention of Pilot or the issues that he has raised.
Although a section of the central leadership was expecting fresh turmoil to erupt in Rajasthan since Pilot’s wish for a change of guard has not come true, the party will be hard-pressed to deal with the flare-up given the fact that Assembly elections are just eight months away. The party last year burnt its fingers in Punjab by effecting a last-minute leadership change.
The leadership had made an abortive bid to replace Gehlot in September citing the “one person, one post” principle after the Chief Minister announced he would contest for the post of Congress president. But the party could not hold the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting after Gehlot loyalists stayed away and held a parallel meeting.
