Pilot strikes back at Gehlot: ‘His leader is not Sonia Gandhi but Vasundhara Raje’

Pilot also said he would start a five-day Jan Sangharsh Yatra, from Ajmer to Jaipur, on May 11 on the issue of corruption, and publicly admitted for the first time that in 2020, he and Congress MLAs loyal to him had approached the party high command demanding a change in the state party leadership.

The Congress high command did not immediately react to Pilot’s outburst, apparently reluctant to cast a shadow on polling for Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday. Sources said the central leadership would issue a statement on Wednesday.

Seems like Vasundhara Raje, not Sonia Gandhi, is Ashok Gehlot’s leader: Sachin Pilot

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“What stand we take, what we do, what we say will be decided and you will know within today and tomorrow. Twenty-four hours is not a long time. Have patience and don’t jump to conclusions… Whatever it is will be known to you tomorrow,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said at a press conference.

Pilot’s remarks at a press conference in Jaipur came even as senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Mount Abu in Rajasthan to attend a training and interaction session for party workers.

“Day before yesterday, the honourable Chief Minister delivered a speech at Dholpur. After listening to that speech, I feel that the honourable CM’s leader is not Sonia Gandhiji but Vasundhara Raje Scindiaji,” Pilot said.

He said he now understood why Gehlot didn’t take any action on alleged corruption cases dating back to Raje’s tenure. “For the past one-and-a-half years, I have been writing letters asking why action is not being taken in corruption that took place during Vasundharaji’s tenure. At that time, these allegations were levelled by me and Gehlotji. Now I can understand why the probe didn’t happen till now, despite writing letters, and sitting on fast in Jaipur on April 11… I have lost hope because more details are coming in and it is clear why no action has been taken or will not be taken,” he said.

On Sunday, Gehlot had claimed that Raje had helped save his government in 2020 by opposing the BJP’s attempts to bribe MLAs. Raje had dismissed his statement as a lie and conspiracy against her. Gehlot had also asked the Congress MLAs who went against him to “return the money they took” to the BJP.

Sources in the Pilot camp said he decided to go public after waiting for two days for the high command to clarify its position on the “unprovoked” attack.

“When Pilot announced last month that he would hold a day-long sit-in, AICC in-charge of Rajasthan, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, issued a statement at 11 pm telling him that his fast the next day would be an anti-party activity. Now, two days have passed, and there is no reaction from the high command. The question is whether the party leadership agrees with Gehlot or not. There was no rebuke or reaction from the high command. Silence can be interpreted as acceptance,” said a leader close to Pilot.

Pilot said Gehlot, on the one hand, was saying that the BJP was trying to topple his government. “On the other hand, it is said that Vasundharaji was trying to save the government. This contradiction needs to be explained,” he said.

Talking about how he and other MLAs had urged the Congress high command to change the state party leadership, Pilot said: “I was the Deputy Chief Minister after our government was formed and also the state Congress president. In 2020, attempts were made to take action against me in a sedition case. I want to make it clear that I and some of our friends wanted a leadership change in the government and had gone to Delhi to present our views. Thereafter, discussions took place in the AICC and a committee was formed with Ajay Maken, K C Venugopal, and the late Ahmed Patel.”

The Tonk MLA said that after the committee was formed, he and the other MLAs did everything to strengthen the Congress. “Nobody has ever broken discipline. I have been called many things, Corona, gaddar (traitor), nikamma (inept) etc. The charges which were levelled the day before yesterday, I have been listening to these allegations for the past one-and-a-half years. But I didn’t want to diminish the image of the government. But I saw, for the first time, that our own Congress government, MLAs, and leaders are being insulted. Efforts are being made to defame Congress leaders and praises are being heaped on BJP leaders. This is wrong and beyond my understanding,” he said.

The former Deputy CM cited the long political careers of some of his loyalists to rubbish Gehlot’s claim that the legislators took money. He also asked why the Gehlot administration didn’t take action against these leaders for three years.

The Congress leadership has found itself in an unenviable position. With just months to go for Assembly elections, the high command is in no position to accept Pilot’s demands for a leadership change. At the same time, it can no longer ignore the continuing war of words between Gehlot and Pilot and flaring-up of tensions every now and then.