Sachin Pilot Revives War With Ashok Gehlot Months Before Rajasthan Polls

Just months before elections in Rajasthan, the fault lines in the state's Congress unit came to the fore on Sunday, as party leader Sachin Pilot opened a fresh line of attack on his rival, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, announcing that he will sit on a one-day fast against corruption on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old leader has demanded that the Gehlot government act against the alleged corruption of the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.

Mr Pilot said that it was necessary to assure people that the Congress government was acting on its statements and promises made before the 2018 assembly elections. He said that the government had failed to act against the excise mafia, illegal mining, land encroachment and the Lalit Modi affidavit case.

"With six to seven months left for the elections, the opponents can spread an illusion that there is some collusion. Therefore, action will have to be taken soon so that the Congress workers feel that there is no difference between our words and actions," he said.

Mr Pilot played old videos of Mr Gehlot accusing Ms Raje of corruption and misrule and asked why he had not initiated any investigation or inquiry into these matters. He said that the Congress government had evidence against the former BJP government but had not acted on it.

"We cannot go into the elections with these promises unfulfilled. We have evidence. We should have acted. We should investigate. We are going into elections. The Model Code of Conduct will come into effect soon. We are answerable to the people," Mr Pilot said.

Mr Pilot also said that he had given many suggestions to the party leadership about affairs in Rajasthan, and one of them was to act on these issues. "It is our government. We need to act. So, people continue to have confidence in us," he said.

Mr Gehlot is yet to respond to the charges. The Congress issued a statement saying its government has implemented numerous schemes that benefitted people, and it will seek a renewed mandate based on its achievements as well as the collective efforts of the organisation.

"This has given the state a leadership position in governance in our country. The Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan was an outstanding success made possible by the dedication and determination of the party organisation in the state," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.

Mr Pilot's all-out attack on his own party's government was the latest in a long-running feud between him and Mr Gehlot that emerged following the last elections in Rajasthan.

When the Congress won Rajasthan in 2018, Mr Pilot was reportedly told by the party's leadership that he would time-share the Chief Minister's job with Mr Gehlot, as his senior, getting the first half of the five-year term. That never came to pass.

Two years later, in 2020, Mr Pilot tried to force a promotion from Deputy Chief Minister by sequestering about 20 MLAs in a resort near Delhi. The message was that unless he was given Mr Gehlot's job, he would break the party.

However, his exercise fizzled out because of the modest support he received. Instead, he was penalised by being removed as Deputy Chief Minister and as the president of the party's Rajasthan unit.

Then, last year, Mr Gehlot flexed his own political muscle to prove to the Congress that he must not be replaced as Chief Minister by Mr Pilot. That possibility came about because Sonia Gandhi urged the 71-year-old to replace her as Congress President.

Mr Gehlot suggested a dual role - Chief Minister plus Congress President - provoking a public reproach from Rahul Gandhi who cited the party's 'one person, one post' rule.

Sonia Gandhi met with Mr Gehlot a few days later - the delayed meeting was intended to convey the displeasure of the "high command" - and he apologised profusely for the actions of his loyalists.

However, despite the Congress's efforts at playing down the rift between the two leaders in one of the few states it governs, the tension has simmered under the surface.