In A Late Night Press Brief, Congress Projects Unity Between Ashok Gehlot And Sachin Pilot

Ahead of the Rajasthan election, Congress high command today scrambled to get things in order and douse the flare-up between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his bete-noire Sachin Pilot. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with both the leaders in Delhi which was followed by a late-night press brief where they vowed to fight the BJP united in the upcoming state assembly elections. 

Addressing the media, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that both - Pilot and Gehlot - have agreed to put up a joint fight against the BJP in the state. "On Rajasthan assembly elections, Congress president and Rahul Gandhi ji had a detailed four-hour long discussion with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot and incharge also. We have decided to fight elections unitedly. Definitely, we will win the elections in Rajasthan. Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot have unanimously agreed with the proposal. It will be a joint fight against BJP, we will win the state," said Venugopal.

He said that both the leaders have left the leadership decision to the party's high command. Sachin Pilot has been constantly attacking CM Gehlot citing inaction against corruption during the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje. Pilot and Gehlot came face to face in the presence of the party leadership after a long gap as they jointly shared a stage last time during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and another press meet in Delhi. 

The Congress high command was forced to hold a meeting with the two leaders after Pilot gave an ultimatum to the Gehlot government. Pilot recently said that if his three demands are not met by the end of this month, he would launch a statewide agitation. On the other hand, Gehlot said that the party's high command is strong and it will never offer any position to any leader or worker to pacify him. 

The Rajasthan unit of the Congress party has faced significant upheaval since July 2020, when Sachin Pilot led a rebellion to demand a change in leadership within the state. As a result of the revolt, Pilot was removed from his position as Deputy Chief Minister and also relieved of his duties as the state Congress President. Since then, tensions have persisted within the party's state unit, and the crisis escalated further in September of last year during the party President's election.

Rajasthan will go to polls around Novermber and December this year.