Ashok Gehlot is meant to be punished around now for defying his party. But the only person who still has any idea of the consequences for Chief Rajasthan is his arch rival, Sachin Pilot.
Six days ago, Sachin Pilot, 45, who switched from passive-aggressive to just-aggressive, candidly said that undisciplined offenders in Rajasthan need to deal with the consequences. He also said that the “atmosphere of hesitation” at his home must end. Ashok Gehlot, meanwhile, regularly makes statements about the “endless ambitions of young leaders” and asks them to wait their turn.
For more than four years now, Pilot Sachin has been waiting for the opportunity to replace Ashok Gehlot, 71, as Minister. Ashok Gehlot first became Rajasthan Minister when he was 47 years old. Elections in this state are just over a year away – so the clock is running out. Ashok Gehlot himself has offered plenty of evidence that he is not going to give up his job – and especially not for Pilot Sachin. To make this clear, about six weeks ago, he held a meeting of more than 80 of the party’s 107 MLAs in Rajasthan – they convened to let Parliament’s legendary Supreme Command know that if Ashok Gehlot is made the Speaker of the National Assembly, and as a result if the party appoints a new Minister, it cannot be the Sachin Pilot.
Ashok Gehlot with Pilot Sachin (File photo)
Being the top boss of Parliament was not on Ashok Gehlot’s wish list; that is a position being pressed into him by the Gandhis. First, he pointed out that he should be allowed to hesitate – hold the positions of Minister and President; when that was made public by Rahul Gandhi, he offered another use case – as President he would decide who would be the new leader of Rajasthan (and Pilot Sachin wasn’t on the long list or not. his short).
At the time, Pilot Sachin tried to stay diplomatic – at least publicly – declaring that the party would decide next steps. Ashok Gehlot faced chills for two or three days from the Gandhis, after which Mallikarjun Kharge became Party Chairman, Gehlot publicly apologized for the actions of his loyalists, and Sachin Pilot, well, waited. . Until his outburst last week, this was out of character.
According to senior leaders of Congress, the odds are not in Sachin Pilot’s favor. Currently, Ashok Gehlot is directing the National Assembly elections in Gujarat, a challenge that is unlikely to be complicated. For one, Arvind Kejriwal replacing Congress as the main Opposition party in the state is a proposal that continues to be put forward; second, Congress is reported to be short of funds, even for a campaign for a state election. To make it clear that his Gujarat mission does not mean Rajasthan is ready to take over, daily and front page advertisement, featuring his photo, publicizes various plans of his government. It was a pure boss move. Pilot Sachin is, at this point, heavily campaigning in Himachal Pradesh, speaking in three or four meetings a day, signaling that he remains compliant and committed to the Congress party.
Sachin pilot in Himachal Pradesh
But the separate orbits necessarily collided when Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra” into Rajasthan, for about four weeks.The march will see Rahul Gandhi spend significant time in one of the two states where the party remains in power. Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot will have to beautify – at least publicly – and are expected to appear alongside Gandhi several times.
The Pilot Camp fears a false chess operation from the Gehlot dirty tricks department. They do not want Yatra Optics damaged by black flags were given to Rahul Gandhi asking the Pilot to replace Gehlot.
In many ways, it is ironic that Pilot Sachin calls the “indiscipline” of the Gehlot camp. In 2020, it was the younger leader who tried to push his promotion to Minister with the tacit threat of leaving the party with a group of supporters, whom he had followed for many years. week at a resort near Delhi. However, Gehlot’s display of power easily surpassed him. Sachin Pilot simply did not have enough numbers to carry out his threat well. Thus, he lost his role as Deputy Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly in Rajasthan, and returned urgently to bide his time. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The new President of the National Assembly, Mallikarjun Kharge, is proving to be a difficult customer for both Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot. Both have had personal encounters with him and there are no guarantees. Sources in the Sachin Navigator camp say that he was trying to remind Kharge that the Gandhis had promised him that the ministerial term would be split between Ashok Gehlot and him; that was also received without comment.
Pilot Sachin’s desperation was shown when, recently, he said that Ashok Gehlot being praised by the Prime Minister at a public event in Rajasthan pointed to something confusing – he told Ghulam Nabi Azad was arrested by the Prime Minister before he turned on the Congress and suggested the party seek parallels. His proposal was rejected by various party officers.
Ashok Gehlot with PM Modi
“We’re trying to hunt a crocodile, not a chicken,” an executive close to Sachin Pilot told me. “(Also), Sachin Pilot has no official posts anymore, so what can they take away from him now? Congress should worry – he has nothing at stake now and much. parties including Trinamool and AAP will be delighted to have him on board. He wants to stay in Congress but can’t because his political capital is draining day by day He is losing his faction. A leader cannot look weak and helpless.
When Ashok Gehlot’s camp offered its performance in Rajasthan, the party said it would decide on the consequences for the state in “a day or two. A month later, there is no sign of change. No change. No wonder the Sachin Pilot is floundering with feedback – even if no one is looking for it.
(Swati Chaturvedi is an author and journalist who has worked with The Indian Express, The Statesman and The Hindustan Times.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.
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