In a sign of the leadership tussle in the Rajasthan Congress making a comeback, former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Monday appeared to brush off Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s remarks that he was hand in glove with the BJP in leading a rebellion against the Gehlot government.
Mr. Pilot recalled that the Chief Minister had earlier too used words like nakaara, nikamma (useless, incompetent) for him.
“Earlier also, Ashok Gehlot ji had said things about me like nakara, nikamma. He is an experienced, senior person, a father figure so I do not take offence,” Mr. Pilot told reporters in Tonk, adding, “Right now my focus is to bring back our government in the State”.
The former Rajasthan Congress chief, who unsuccessfully led a rebellion against the Gehlot government in July 2020, also referred to a recent statement of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in which Mr. Gandhi appreciated his patience.
Last week, during a meeting of party leaders at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, Mr. Gandhi had said working in the Congress made people patient.
“When I was questioned by Enforcement Directorate officials, they asked me how do I have so much patience. I didn’t tell them but you want to know? Well, I have been working with the Congress party since 2004. If I don’t have patience then who will. Every leader of the Congress party knows this...Look at Sachin Pilot, he sitting patiently,” Mr. Gandhi had said.
Referring to this statement, Mr. Pilot tried to play down the pubic exchange that was triggered by Mr. Gehlot’s all-out attack on senior BJP leader and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Accusing Mr. Shekhawat of trying to destabilise his government, Mr. Gehlot had said, “You yourself conspired to topple the government. Now that you are taking the name of Sachin Pilot ji, that he erred, it is proof, you yourself put the stamp on the fact that you were hand in glove with him”
Mr. Gehlot’s outburst in Sikar was a response to an earlier comment by Mr. Shekhawat in which he had claimed that Mr. Pilot had a ‘mistake ‘ in leading the rebellion against the Gehlot government.
