Sachin Pilot has been sacked as Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan (File)
As the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan lurches towards collapse over Sachin Pilot's chief ministerial ambitions, Assam Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi tweeted, saying that "personal struggles" could not be allowed to affect the party's stability.
"There was a time in Assam when Congress workers and leaders were identified and shot by ULFA. Children became orphans and party workers were ostracised. Still those brave men and women stood by the party and built it brick by brick," Mr Gogoi wrote.
"Our personal struggles pale in comparison," he said, in a remark widely seen as a gentle nudge in the direction of Mr Pilot.
The tweet comes amid drama in Rajasthan Congress, where Mr Pilot, who was today fired as Deputy Chief Minister and chief of the party's state unit, leads a revolt against Chief Minister Gehlot.
Mr Pilot, 42, has demanded that he be made chief minister, a position he claimed in 2018 as well, after helping the Congress to a surprise Assembly election win.
A sulking former deputy chief minister has skipped two party meetings and rumours persist that he is in talks to join the BJP, something his camp has denied but not ruled out.
The Congress's precarious situation in Rajasthan is a near-exact replica of that it suffered in Madhya Pradesh three months ago.
Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress to join the BJP in March (File)
In March, Jyotiraditya Scindia, another rising, and popular, young Congress leader crossed to the BJP, taking 22 MLAs with him and triggering the fall of the Kamal Nath government.
Like Mr Pilot, Mr Scindia too expressed unhappiness at being passed over for the chief minister's post despite sizeable contributions to victory in the Assembly elections.
Mr Scindia took a swipe at his former party yesterday, saying he was saddened to see "my erstwhile colleague Sachin Pilot too, being sidelined and persecuted..."
Mr Gogoi had tweeted during the Madhya Pradesh Congress crisis as well, urging his party leaders and luminaries to "remain committed to principles and values".
"This is a time that the country is facing a crisis - in economy, in society. Look at the Delhi violence. This is when one should remain committed to principles and values. Not a time to compromise on values by joining the BJP," Mr Gogoi told NDTV.