‘I Didn’t Cross the Lakshman Rekha’: Sachin Pilot After Truce

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

(Photo: Altered by Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

After the truce between the Pilot camp and the Congress leadership in Delhi a day earlier, Congress leader Sachin Pilot returned to Jaipur on Tuesday, 11 August, to a rousing welcome from supporters. Speaking to ANI, he said that he was pained by the kind of words that were used for him by CM Ashok Gehlot but what was said should now be forgotten.

Gehlot said he will be putting the political tussle behind and will maintain peace and brotherhood.

The month-long crisis in the Rajasthan Congress ended on Monday, 11 August with rebel Sachin Pilot calling a truce with the party and the dissident MLAs heading home.

Here is what the two leaders said.

I Have Not Crossed ‘Lakshman Rekha’: Pilot

“I am pained by the kind of words that were used, I think we should forget what was said. A level of discourse should be maintained in politics, there should be no feeling of personal animosity, work should be done based on issues and policy,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

“I have not made any demands with the party. I am an MLA and a Congress worker, I will do whatever party asks me to do,” he said.

Earlier in Delhi, Pilot said that public’s confidence and trust needs to be won back. "These things come and go. We need to work in the direction of strengthening the public's confidence and trust in us," he said.

“There should be a ‘’lakshman rekha’’ in public discourse and I have never crossed that line in 20 years. We need to set an example in front of people that personal attacks and the use of harsh words against each other is not right and necessary. I will never do it. I don’t think I should react to it also.”

Sachin Pilot 

Pilot had earlier refused to comment on a question on the Gehlot's 'nikamma' remark against him. “I imbibed certain values from my family, no matter how much I oppose anyone, I've never used such language. Ashok Gehlot ji is elder to me and I respect him personally, but I have the right to raise work-related concerns,” he said.

Talking about his meeting with Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, he said they listened to his concerns patiently and assured that a road map will be chalked out to solve them.

“A three-member committee has been formed by Congress after issues raised by me and some MLAs. The issues we raised were of importance. There is no place for malice or personal enmity in politics,” said Pilot.

Peace and Brotherhood Will Remain: Gehlot

In his first public statement after the political tussle, Gehlot said that if any MLA is annoyed with him, it is his responsibility to address that. “I have kept doing this in the past and will do this now as well,” he said.

“Peace and brotherhood will remain in our party. A 3-member committee has been formed (by Congress) to resolve the grievances. The BJP tried its best to topple the government, but in the end, all our party MLAs are together, not even one has left us”

Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Chief Minister.

He said that the Income Tax department and Central Burau of Investigation (CBI) are being misused and politics is being done in the name of religion. “But our government will complete its full term of 5 years, and we will win the next elections as well,” Gehlot said.