JAIPUR: The bitter power tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Number-2 Sachin Pilot culminated in the sacking of the latter on Tuesday, 18 months after the Congress returned to power in the Rajasthan.
Pilot’s ejection as the state party chief also sent out a clear message as who the Congress boss is in the state.
Political circles are agog why Pilot, once a part of Rahul Gandhi’s inner circle, has finally been dumped.
After Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit a few months ago, Pilot’s removal is a second major jolt to the youth brigade that was once considered Rahul’s USP.
The Congress brass’ preference for Gehlot is surprising given the fact that after the party returned to power in 2018, it couldn’t make a clear choice between the youthful Pilot and the ageing Gehlot.
One obvious reason is the “extreme demand” that Pilot was making.
Despite a limited number of MLAs on his side, hereportedly wanted the CM’s chair, which was non-negotiable for the leadership.
While Pilot skipped two meetings of MLAs despite the leadership reaching out to him several times, Gehlot never defied the party leadership.
He has worked with three generations of the Gandhis — from Indira Gandhi to Rajiv and Sonia to now Rahul Gandhi.
Gehlot comes from an OBC caste, a significant factor in caste-sensitive Rajasthan. The CM is also known to be a master of social engineering, which helped him stitch many caste alliances.
Besides, he is also known for his organisational skills and has proved to the party’s crisis manager many a time.
Eventually, the Congress went with the more experienced Gehlot who clearly has the numbers on his side. Whether this will resolve the crisis in the Grand Old Party is an open question.