Congress Leader Salman Khurshid's Advice To Party On Rajasthan Crisis

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday favoured working out an honourable formula to deal with the political crisis in Rajasthan and appeared to back a rapprochement with Sachin Pilot, who has raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

As a party man and as someone who knew the son of his very dear friend late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, since his childhood, the former union minister said he is very sad at the turn of events in the state.

Efforts should be made to bring into the party fold anyone from any state who is willing to come, Mr Khurshid said when asked if the party should reach out to Sachin Pilot.

But he also added: I think the Congress must not dissipate, must not scatter. There is a limit to which any leadership can accommodate diversity, ambition etc but it's a two-way thing, right? If people consider themselves I think we should try to keep the party together.

Anyone who feels an urge to leave, if we can persuade them not to; that may be a sensible thing but then there are no formulas for this; its only on a case-to-case basis, that you can do something," the senior leader told PTI in an interview.

"I don't know the immediate circumstances of this (crisis in Rajasthan), if something can work with honour, why would anyone be against it, Mr Khurshid said.

Sachin Pilot, who was last week sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President, along with 18 other dissident MLAs have been slapped with show-cause notices by the Assembly Speaker on petitions by the ruling Congress seeking their disqualification. The matter has now gone to court.