"To Provoke Gurjars": Ashok Gehlot Hits Back After PM's Rajesh Pilot Jab

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has hit back after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments about late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot. Speaking two days before the Assembly election, he claimed the PM was trying to "instigate" the state's Gurjar community, who constitute eight to nine per cent of the population and whose votes impact 30-35 seats.

"The Prime Minister is now bringing the name of Rajesh Pilot into politics. In the name of late Rajesh Pilotji, the PM wants to provoke the Gurjar community. But, during BJP rule, bullets were fired on Gurjars 22 times... 72 Gurjars died," Mr Gehlot said Thursday, referring to the February 2008 clashes, when the BJP's Vasundhara Raje was Chief Minister.

On Thursday the Prime Minister, while campaigning in Bhilwara district, declared the Congress is "victimising" its senior leader, Sachin Pilot, who is also Rajesh Pilot's son.

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Rajesh Pilot, who died in 2000, had objected to the idea of Sonia Gandhi being projected as a prime ministerial candidate. Sachin Pilot, his son, is today one of the Congress' foremost leaders in Rajasthan and has long been seen as a potential Chief Minister. He was, however, denied the job after the 2018 election; the post was handed to Mr Gehlot, leading to a still-running and explosive feud.

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The younger Pilot made headlines in 2020 after an attempted coup nearly brought down the Asho Gehlot government. The collapse was averted at the last minute after the Congress' central leadership intervened and, as punishment, he was sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and boss of the state unit.

There was speculation, then, that he would be presented as the chief ministerial face in this election as compensation. However, no such public assurance or statement has been made.

The PM's statement has been seen as part of a strategy to win back Gurjar votes that had shifted to the Congress in 2018 in hopes Sachin Pilot, Rajesh Pilot's son, would become Chief Minister.

In the last election, the community voted en masse for the Congress. The BJP gave tickets to nine Gurjar leaders - none won. The Congress gave tickets to 11 and eight of them won.

The Gurjar vote in this election could, once again, decide which way the state swings.

However, Sachin Pilot has nixed talk of resentment in the community over his not being named Chief Minister. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, he said, "The Congress is larger than any community. There are eight crore people in Rajasthan. We will go forward unitedly."

Rajasthan votes in a single-phase election on Saturday, with results due December 3, alongside those from another Congress-ruled state - Chhattisgarh - and Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana.

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