JAIPUR: A close associate of Congress leader Sachin Pilot and a minister in the Gehlot government, Murari Lal Meena has dismissed the possibility of Pilot forming a new party as a “baseless rumour”.
Ever since the meeting involving Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot, Congress chief Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi a week ago, speculation is on in Rajasthan that Pilot could leave the Congress and form his own party on his father’s death anniversary on June 11.
His supporters have said the party leadership is not listening to him nor has Ashok Gehlot taken any action on his demands.
These rumours went on to the extent that Pilot had applied for the registration of the name ‘Congress Progressive Party’ with the Election Commission.
Anxiety gripped the Congress over the possibility of Pilot announcing the new party. A pattern over the last three months has fueled the rumours. On April 11, Sachin Pilot staged a sit-in demanding action against corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje government. On May 11, Pilot embarked on a foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur to protest against corruption, raising three major demands.
It was also speculated that political consultant Prashant Kishor and his firm I-PAC were assisting Pilot. I-PAC volunteers were believed to have helped Pilot plan a day-long hunger strike on April 11. The suggestion of a foot march between Ajmer and Jaipur was also reportedly provided by I-PAC advisors. Several reports in the past week also made similar claims.
However, Agriculture Marketing Minister Murari Lal Meena put an end to these “rumours”, at least for the time being. Speaking to the media in Jaipur, Meena said: “I don’t believe in any of this; in my opinion, it’s all just rumours. We will fight the elections together.”
“Significant matters are known either by the top leaders or the high command. I am not closely associated with the high command. I work for the party, and based on what I know, we will all work together.” If Meena’s claim is indeed true, there is a possibility that instead of forming a new party, Pilot may once again intensify his movement against his own government.