Sachin Pilot sticks to stance, says no compromise on promises

“The new month begins tomorrow. My assurances and commitment to the youth in the public domain aren’t empty talk… it is not possible for me to compromise on the two issues of corruption and the future of youth,” Pilot said.

The Congress party said that Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot have agreed to fight the upcoming Rajasthan polls unitedly.

“Two days ago, I had a meeting in Delhi with the party leadership, the president. The party knows about the demands I had kept. I believe the government will act. It is the last day of the month. I had said on May 15 that the government should act soon… so now I am waiting. The responsibility of taking action lies with the state government,” he said.

Addressing a rally at the end of his five-day long Jan Sangharsh Yatra on May 15, Pilot had demanded that the corruption-ridden Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) be dissolved, reconstituted and backed by a new law, compensation be provided to “lakhs of students” who have suffered economically due to paper leaks and a high-level inquiry be conducted into corruption cases under the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government. He said that if these three demands are not met by the month-end, he will launch a state-wide agitation.

This came following a four-hour-long meet between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, besides other senior leaders of the party.

As the deadline of his ultimatum approached, Pilot and Gehlot were summoned to Delhi. However, the four-hour-long meeting seemingly remained inconclusive, with the party failing to announce a peace formula.

Now, with his statements, Pilot has put the ball in the CM’s court. Despite Pilot’s attempts to build pressure on Gehlot, beginning with his daylong dharna on April 11, the CM has not expressed any interest in reopening the alleged corruption cases during former CM Vasundhara Raje’s tenure, or in his other two demands.