Sachin Pilot, the party’s leader in Rajasthan, has been told by the Congress not to go on a fast today and is being accused of engaging in “anti-party activity.” However, Mr. Pilot is continuing his fast in order to force the Ashok Gehlot administration to prosecute individuals responsible for the corrupt behaviour of the previous BJP administration. A public spectacle of the ruling Congress has resulted from the Gehlot administration’s denial of Mr. Pilot’s accusations of inaction, just months before the assembly election.
“Sachin Pilot’s planned one-day fast on Tuesday is detrimental to the interests of the party and is anti-party behaviour. In what is being seen as a final attempt to de-escalate the tension between Mr. Pilot, who has been eyeing the Chief Minister’s post for a long time, and Mr. Gehlot, the current Chief Minister, the Congress’s Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in a statement on Monday, “If there is any issue with his own government, it can be discussed in the party forums instead of in the media and public.”
“In my five months as an AICC in-charge, Pilot ji has never brought up this topic with me. Regarding his function in the All India Congress Committee, Mr. Randhawa said, “I am in touch with him and I continue to call for a calm discourse because he is an undeniable asset to the Congress party.
Despite the fact that Mr. Pilot is calling for action against the corrupt, it is believed that his most recent dispute with the Gehlot administration was an effort to exert pressure on the Congress leadership to decide who would represent the party most prominently in Rajasthan during an election year.
Mr. Pilot makes no secret of his desires, and the Congress is well aware of them. As a result, the party looks to be frantically trying to contain the damage given that Mr. Gehlot has a sizeable following. A mutiny by more than 90 MLAs loyal to him required his continuation in office in Rajasthan, thus the Chief Minister stayed on instead of running for Congress president last year.
Mr. Pilot claims that his most recent action is solely a call to action against the corrupt and has nothing to do with a leadership power struggle. However, the Gehlot campaign is aware of his message in an election year.
“The preceding Vasundhara Raje administration’s corruption was not addressed (by the Gehlot administration). When we were in the opposition, we pledged to launch an investigation into the Rs 45,000 crore mines fraud, Mr. Pilot reminded reporters as he announced the fast. He claimed that when he addressed the problem in two letters to Mr. Gehlot last year but received no reaction, he made the decision to act more firmly now.
MLAs who support Mr. Pilot have been asked not to participate in the fast, but his fans are anticipated to show up in big numbers for what might be a pivotal moment in Rajasthani politics.
On Monday, the Congress released a statement that was more in favour of Mr. Gehlot. A probe into the BJP’s plot to overthrow our elected government in Rajasthan and attempt to buy our MLAs is currently under progress, according to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera. “It is incorrect to claim that there is no investigation underway; one should instead bring any complaints to the attention of the AICC in-charge,” Mr. Khera continued.
