Pilot Sachin meets Sonia Gandhi at her residence in Delhi (File)
New Delhi:
Parliament Senior Leader and former Deputy Minister Rajasthan Sachin Pilot met Parliament Speaker Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Thursday, hours after his and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s will.
Mr Pilot’s meeting comes after Mr Gehlot announced that he would not take part in a poll of the speaker of Parliament after taking on “moral responsibility” over the political crisis in his state. .
Mr. Gehlot also said the decision on whether he would hold the position of minister would be taken by Mrs. Gandhi.
“It is often argued that the BJP and the congressional government for up to five years in a row [in Rajasthan]. I don’t see any reason why Congress cannot return to a second consecutive term in Rajasthan in 2023. We will work towards this,” Mr. Pilot told reporters after meeting Sonia Gandhi.
The meetings come days after a public revolt by Mr Gehlot loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state increasing the likelihood Mr Pilot will assume the post of Minister when the leader grants move closer to the job of President of the National Assembly.
The party’s disciplinary committee asked three Gehlot loyalists – Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore – to explain within 10 days why they should not face disciplinary action.
This came after Rajasthan’s observers, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, accused them of “serious indiscipline” in a report to party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Eighty-two MLAs participated in a parallel meeting at Mr. Dhariwal’s residence in Jaipur, setting the conditions for the party. They did not attend the official party meeting convened to pass a resolution authorizing the Speaker to appoint a successor to Mr. Gehlot.
With Rajasthan posing a significant challenge to the party, the Speaker of the National Assembly has also held discussions with senior party leaders around the country to resolve the crisis.
