Ashok Gehlot responds to Sachin Pilot’s jibe: ‘Should not make such remarks… want everyone to follow discipline’

Sachin Pilot, earlier in the day, took potshots at Ashok Gehlot over the praise the Rajasthan Chief Minister received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: November 2, 2022 08:50 PM IST

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Congress leader Sachin Pilot (File)

Hours after Congress leader Sachin Pilot took a swipe at Ashok Gehlot over the praise the Rajasthan Chief Minister received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latter on Wednesday said “they should not make such remarks right now”.

CM Gehlot said, “Venugopal ji had said that no one will make comments (against other leaders in the party). So we want everyone to follow discipline in the party.”

Drawing new party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s attention towards the pending decision on notices to three loyalists of the Chief Minister, Pilot, the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, called for action against Rajasthan MLAs who in September allegedly engineered a boycott of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.

Addressing the media at his residence in Jaipur, Pilot said: “It’s interesting that the PM praised (CM) yesterday. It mustn’t be taken lightly. Because the PM similarly praised Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament and we all saw what happened.”

Also Read in Political Pulse: | Why Sachin Pilot spoke out: Ashok Gehlot’s frequent barbs, silent Cong high command

On Tuesday, CM Gehlot shared a stage with PM Modi, who attended a program at Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan’s Banswara. Speaking at the event, PM Modi said, “Ashok ji and I have worked together as chief ministers. He was the senior-most in our lot. He is still one of the senior-most chief ministers among those who are sitting on the stage right now.”

The strained relations between Pilot and Gehlot deepened following the events of September 25, when scores of MLAs, apparently annoyed over the Congress high command’s “unilateral” decision to opt for a new CM without consulting them, skipped a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting and submitted their resignation to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi.

Though Congress general secretary K C Venugopal directed party leaders in the state to refrain from making “public statements against other leaders or about party’s internal matters”, Gehlot sidestepped this advisory and on October 2 he attacked Pilot at length as well as the then party state in-charge Ajay Maken, without naming either of them.

From the homepage