By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI – Despite a truce enforced by the central leadership of Congress in May-end, the power tussle in the party’s Rajasthan unit has reached a crescendo in the run-up to the Assembly election due in December this year. Amid the internal conflict in the ruling Congress, both Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot are firing salvos at each other with the aim of having a greater control over the election campaign.
Pilot had staged a rebellion against Gehlot in July 2020 and camped at a resort in BJP-ruled Haryana’s Manesar town along with 18 Congress MLAs who were supporting him. He came back to Jaipur following the intervention of the party’s high command after a few days, but he had to pay the price for the revolt and was sacked as both the Deputy Chief Minister and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president.
The origin of the tussle in Congress lies in Pilot’s ambition to become the Chief Minister, for which he tried hard in 2018, claiming that the party’s victory in the Assembly election was the result of his hard work as the PCC president. However, Gehlot played his cards well and was appointed the CM, while Pilot had to be content with the Deputy CM’s post. Moreover, he was given the charge of some insignificant portfolios.
Even though Gehlot may like to wish him away, Pilot as a prominent Gujjar leader is said to have the capability of influencing at least 40 out of the 200 Assembly seats in the state. This is a significant number in view of the fact that the vote percentages of the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP were very close to each other in 2018. While the vote share of Congress was 39.30%, the BJP managed to get 38.08%.
Pilot has been making headlines during the past few months for all the wrong reasons for Congress and Gehlot. He has raised three demands for a high-level probe into alleged corruption during the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje, restructuring of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and compensation to the youth affected by the cancellation of government recruitment exams because of paper leaks recently. He staged a day-long dharna in Jaipur on April 11 on these issues and took out a five-day-long yatra from Ajmer to Jaipur in May, while giving an ultimatum for the month-end.
Speculation was also rife in Rajasthan’s political circles about Pilot planning to float a new political outfit, after the Congress leadership worked out a formula and claimed that the two leaders would unitedly fight the Assembly election. The conjectures about a drastic step likely to be taken by Pilot were made especially after his remarks following the truce that he was not going to backtrack from the issues raised in the public domain about corruption and future of the youth.
Pilot is seen as fighting to maintain his political relevance within his party and the state. Rajasthan is known for its bipolar polity and also for the trend of the Congress and the BJP coming to power alternately during the last two decades, described by political observers as the “revolving door” trend in elections.
On June 11, marking the 23rd death anniversary of his father and former Union Minister, the late Rajesh Pilot, the former Deputy CM reiterated his demand for a probe into the instances of alleged corruption during the previous BJP regime and said he would keep fighting for getting justice to the youth and farmers and protecting their future. Pilot also said he would not back down on his demands on all major issues. He addressed a huge rally after unveiling a statue of his father at a Gujjar hostel in Dausa, 60 km away from Jaipur, from where he was elected thrice to Lok Sabha.
Pilot did not announce the launch of a new political outfit or his break-up from the Congress, belying the speculation which was rife in political circles. Pilot said he would not backtrack on his promises and would speak fearlessly on all issues of public interest, while supporting truth and honesty. “My credibility is my biggest priority and I am not going to compromise even in adverse circumstances. People’s trust is the biggest asset for me,” he said.
The dissident leader said Raje as the Chief Minister had cancelled the mining leases when irregularities came to light after the allotment, but the act of allotment was to be accounted for. He made a veiled reference to Gehlot’s criticism of the demand for compensation for the candidates who suffered from paper leaks, as he had recently termed it “mental bankruptcy”. Pilot said one should have a big heart for helping the poor and youth.
The 45-year-old Congress leader said the “collective aim” of everyone in the public life should be to ensure a clean politics devoid of corruption. “In the 22 years of my life in politics, I have maintained this principle. I have tried to bring hope for the future among the youth and farmers. If their heart is disappointed, the nation cannot progress,” he said. He also offered floral tributes at a memorial for the late Rajesh Pilot in Bandhana village before arriving at the hostel for unveiling of the statue.
The presence of half-a-dozen Ministers and a large number of Pilot’s supporters in the Dausa rally has unnerved the ruling Congress, which is trying its best to win the Assembly election by presenting a sensitive and benevolent attitude of the government with the launch of several public welfare schemes. Special inflation relief camps are also being organised across Rajasthan to get the people registered for availing of 10 such schemes.
These schemes include Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme with a cover of Rs.25 lakh per annum, free agricultural power scheme, Annapurna food packets scheme, additional days in MGNREGA, Indira Gandhi urban employment guarantee scheme, social security pensions and the Kamdhenu livestock insurance scheme. CM Gehlot has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks that the welfare schemes would lead to the government’s bankruptcy, and pointed out that it was people’s own money which was being given back to them.
While the Congress is confident of emerging victorious in the Assembly election on the strength of its populist measures, Pilot seems to be in no mood to soften his stand against his own party’s government. On the other hand, despite Pilot’s continuous attacks from the public platforms, there is no visible change in the attitude of Gehlot.
In this situation, questions are being raised on the benefits to Pilot from his continuous attack on the Gehlot government. Political experts believe that Congress will try Karnataka’s formula in Rajasthan, as part of which the ticket distribution to the party leaders will be decided at the central level instead of the state level. Since Pilot understands this very well, he is apparently trying to keep pressure on the party’s central leadership so that MLAs loyal to him can get tickets for election.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in Jaipur recently that the party had devised a formula for accommodating Pilot following the truce announced in New Delhi. He said each Congress leader would be assigned with the responsibility matching his or her stature in the run-up to the Assembly election to ensure the party’s victory.
Analysts believe that the central leadership of Congress is considering Pilot as the future face of the party, because of which it has not taken any action against him despite the incidents like hunger strike and the foot on march for five days. It remains to be seen how the party high command brings rapprochement between the two senior leaders and accommodates Pilot at a position where it can make the best use of his capabilities and leadership qualities.
