JAIPUR: The decision by Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot to fast for a day on Tuesday in protest against the Gehlot government’s alleged inaction over corruption cases related to the former BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje has created a crisis for the party ahead of elections due later this year.
On Monday, Pilot and his loyalists were busy making plans to turn the event into a major show of strength and popularity. If sources are to be believed, a large number of his supporters from various districts of eastern Rajasthan would come to Jaipur to join the fast.
However, after a statement by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, pro-Pilot MLAs may stay away from the fast. This tactical move is also an effort to prevent any counting of MLAs who might be
present or absent at the event.
Gehlot has not yet commented on the situation. But on Monday, some of his supporters started attacking Sachin Pilot openly. Sandeep Chaudhary, chairman of the Barren Land Development Board tweeted that Sachin Pilot should talk to AICC in-charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa or party president Mallikarjun Kharge if he has any complaint rather than staging a protest.
Vasundhara Raje, incidentally, too has also not responded to Pilot’s remark suggesting a ‘nexus’ between Gehlot and her. Meanwhile, the Congress high command remains unperturbed. On Sunday, Jairam Ramesh not only praised CM Ashok Gehlot’s welfare schemes and plans by name but also talked about going to the next elections on the basis of those plans.
Randhawa has said that it is wrong to sit on a hunger strike instead of raising the issue on the party platform and that no issue can be resolved on the road. He also questioned why Pilot did not raise the issue when he was the deputy CM for one-and-a-half years.