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Journalism of Courage
Though officially resolved in the run-up to the coming Rajasthan elections, the five-year tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot may yet prove to be detrimental to the Congress’s chances in the crucial eastern Rajasthan region.
Last week, Congress MLA from Sawai Madhopur and Gehlot’s adviser Danish Abrar ran into opposition in his own constituency and was greeted with slogans of “Pilot ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro … (Shoot those who betrayed Pilot)”. Abrar was attending an event honouring Devnarayan Bhagwan, a deity worshipped by the Gujjar community to which Pilot belongs. In videos of the incident, Abrar can be seen sitting on the stage while some attendees continuously raised the slogans despite the organisers’ attempts to mediate.
The anger among Pilot’s supporters against Abrar illustrates how despite the Congress high command’s best efforts to resolve the differences between Gehlot and Pilot loyalists, and the former Deputy CM stopping public criticism of the government, the after-effects of the bitter factional feud remain on the ground and continues to be a sticking point even as the party goes into election mode.
The animosity against Abrar can be traced back to the party’s internal crisis in July 2020, when Pilot rebelled against Gehlot and camped in Manesar, Haryana, and later Delhi for more than a month with 18 MLAs loyal to him. Abrar, Chetan Dudi, and Rohit Bohra — three first-time MLAs — were counted among the younger crop of legislators close to Pilot but were not among these 18 legislators. Party sources said at the time that more MLAs had sided with Pilot but returned from Delhi after being convinced by the CM and their families. The trio of Abrar, Dudi, and Bohra were speculated to be among these MLAs. Amid the crisis, they had addressed the media at Gehlot’s residence, suggesting they had played an integral role in the month-long crisis.
The MLAs acknowledged they had gone to Delhi for “personal reasons” and said they would remain loyal soldiers of the Congress. They blamed the media for spreading rumours that they had jumped ship at the last moment after initially siding with Pilot.
Though the three have remained tight-lipped about the exact sequence of events and their role, the fact that Gehlot often thanks them publicly suggests they helped the CM’s faction. In 2021, Abrar was made an adviser to Gehlot. In May, Gehlot again praised the three and said the party could “never forget” them for their loyalty. “Had these three MLAs not supported me on time, I would not have been standing in front of you as the CM,” said the CM.
Worrying sign for Congress?
The fact that Abrar faced opposition in his own constituency is likely to worry the Congress given its strong electoral performance in the region was attributed to Pilot’s efforts during the 2018 Assembly elections and if his supporters still hold grudges then all the work done by the party high command to unit the two sides will come undone.
While Dausa district has been a traditional stronghold of the Pilot family, the other districts in the region also have a high concentration of Gujjar and Meena communities. Despite the two communities being considered traditional rivals, Pilot has managed to create a supporter base among Meenas and maintain support from Gujjars, who are generally seen as BJP supporters.
At present, the BJP doesn’t have a single seat in Sawai Madhopur, which has four Assembly constituencies. In 2018, the BJP won only one seat in the eastern Rajasthan districts of Bharatpur, Dausa, Dholpur, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur that collectively have 24 Assembly constituencies.
