JAIPUR: As Sachin Pilot camp intensifies pressure on Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, Congress high command has indicated that they will not bend to the tunes of a few.
Ajay Maken, the Secretary In-Charge of Rajasthan, has said that Pilot is an asset but the party will not run according to the wishes of some leaders.
After the resignation of Congress MLA Hemaram Chaudhary, now other MLAs of the Pilot camp have also expressed dissent and have become vocal. Chaksu MLA from Congress, Ved Solanki, had appealed to the party high command for decentralisation of power in Rajasthan government after Hemaram's resignation. He had stated that if their demands are not fulfilled, he will have to step down too. Two more MLAs from Pilot camp, Murari Meena and Mukesh Bhakar have also come forward and expressed sadness over Hemaram's resignation and have asked the party leadership to listen to him.
All of these MLAs were also a part of the 19 MLA group which had rebelled with Sachin Pilot against the Gehlot leadership. They had all spent a month in Gurugram in August 2020.
Meanwhile, the party high command has shot down these rebel voices in a direct message. In an interview given to a section of the media, Secretary In-Charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken said, "Party does not take decisions based on a few people's wishes. Sachin Pilot is an asset and a star campaigner in Rajasthan, he was instrumental in getting our party elected in the state. In coming times, party will give him responsibilities keeping all of these things in mind."
Maken also stated that people of Rajasthan are with Congress. "In the last few days, Rajasthan had three by-elections in which Congress got 51 per cent votes. This is historic and we won 2 out of 3 seats, this is a very good performance by the party and the credit should go to Ashok Gehlot government's work and the Congress organization in the state."
On the resignation issue, Maken said that this is an internal matter of the party which will be resolved soon.
The Pilot camp is aggrieved that they have not been heard even after 1 year of their revolt and their issues have not been resolved till now. Moreover, they say that there has not been any cabinet expansion and no MLA from the Pilot camp has been in given a cabinet berth.
In a virtual meeting of the State Congress on Monday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said, "Even if I have opponents, they still need to work together." Pilot supporters believe that the Chief Minister's statement was aimed at them .
According to the sources within the party, the high command feels that at a time when the country and the state is facing severe covid challenge, it is not the right time to raise these issues by the Pilot camp MLAs.