JAIPUR: Internal squabbles within the Congress in Rajasthan came to the fore on Wednesday, the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot again targeting his rival and senior leader Sachin Pilot.
Gehlot also took a dig at the party’s state president, Govind Singh Dotasara. Political circles are abuzz over the deepening of rift in the state unit.
Speaking at a commemorative event, Gehlot remarked that Dotasara’s rise within the party was a direct result of the July 2020 Manesar incident, when Pilot led a group of Congress MLAs in a revolt against Gehlot’s leadership.
The former CM said, “It is a big thing to complete three terms as Chief Minister. You all know the government was saved in the third term - it was a miracle. We completed five years due to the blessings of the high command and your prayers. Otherwise, there was no question of completing the term. Dotasara is also a gift of that time.”
In 2020, during Gehlot’s third tenure as CM, then-Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot, along with a group of supporting MLAs, camped in Manesar, triggering a major political crisis. Gehlot had alleged that Pilot and his faction were conspiring with the BJP to topple his government.
Amid that crisis, Gehlot had elevated Dotasara, who has since emerged as a powerful figure within the party. The Rajasthan Congress has been divided between the Gehlot and Pilot factions for over a decade. Political observers suggest that Gehlot’s repeated references to Dotasara hint at his growing unease with the latter’s rising influence.
The 2020 political crisis and Gehlot-Pilot fallout
In 2020, during Gehlot’s third tenure as CM, then-Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot, along with a group of supporting MLAs, camped in Manesar, triggering a political crisis. Gehlot had alleged that Pilot was conspiring with the BJP.
The rise of Dotasara as a key player within the party
Amid that crisis, Gehlot had elevated Dotasara, who has since emerged as a powerful figure within the party. The Rajasthan Congress has been divided between the Gehlot and Pilot factions for over a decade.