Rajasthan Reconciliation? "Good News Will Come Soon," Says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi reportedly met with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his bitter rival Sachin Pilot yesterday in an attempt to end a feud that threatens to damage the Congress ahead of elections in the state next year.

"Good news will come soon," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI as he emerged from the "reconciliatory meeting" with his party's top two in Rajasthan at a circuit house in Alwar.

The former Congress chief was responding to questions on whether any rapprochement had been worked out between Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot.

Congress leader KC Venugopal was also present at the meeting that lasted nearly 30 minutes. Rahul Gandhi later left for the Bharat Jodo camp in the city.

Mr Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan has been dogged by the rift between Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot. He faced questions on the feud throughout his tour of Rajasthan.

Days before the yatra reached Rajasthan, the Congress was caught short by Mr Gehlot's explosive comments in an interview to NDTV calling his former deputy a "gaddar (traitor)".

"A gaddar (traitor) cannot be Chief Minister. The High Command cannot make Sachin Pilot the Chief Minister... a man who doesn't have 10 MLAs. Who revolted. He betrayed the party, (he) is a traitor," Mr Gehlot had said on his younger rival.

Mr Pilot hit back saying it was "unbecoming" of a senior leader to use such words at a time the Congress needed to project a united front.

A stunned Congress organised a joint press conference of the two leaders in damage control and said: "The party needs both leaders".

Rivals attacked the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, saying he should attempt a "Congress Jodo (unite Congress) Yatra" instead of a Bharat Jodo yatra.

The Gehlot-Pilot standoff, which began when both competed for the Chief Minister's job after the Congress's Rajasthan victory in 2018, peaked when in 2020, Mr Pilot rebelled along with 20 MLAs supporting him, and camped in Delhi for weeks.

The revolt ended after the Gandhis assured Mr Pilot of changes that never quite materialised, with Mr Gehlot refusing to yield any ground. The feud has festered without any resolution since.