What’s Going on in Pilot’s Mind, as Tussle With Gehlot Flares Up?

A peak into Sachin Pilot’s social media activity helps shed some light into when the distress began to bubble.

Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot (right) with deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

(Photo: IANS)

The ruling Congress party in Rajasthan is presently riddled with conflict, as Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appear to be at odds.

According to a Times of India report, Pilot, on Sunday, 12 July, claimed to have the support of more than 30 Congress MLAs and some independent legislators.

He said that the Gehlot-led Congress government is in minority now.

On Monday, Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot also announced that he will not be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reported NDTV. This has put to rest some speculations about him defecting to the party in power at the Centre.

Amid all this, it is hard to tell, however, what really is going on in Pilot’s mind. Perhaps, a peak into his social media activity will help shed some light into the nascent stages of the conflict, when the distress began to bubble and in what direction it may be heading.

When Pilot Spoke About Respect for Party Workers

On 23 June, Pilot tweeted a video, along with the words:

“Jin karyakarta ne paanch saal tak kandhe se kandha mila kar party ke lie kadee mehnat ki aur apna khoon-pasina bahaya, un logon ke maan-samman ki raksha karna mera pratham kartavya hai (My first duty is to safeguard the dignity of and give respect to the party workers, who have for the past five years stood with us and worked relentlessly for the party).”

In the video, Pilot can be seen promising that he will never let any harm befall on the party workers’ image. He also said:

“Main pradesh Congress Committee ka adhyaksh hoon…Khoon pasina bahakar hum is party ko satta mein leke aaye hain, uska poora maan samman, chahe niyukti ke madhyam se ho, chahe party ya sarkar mein bhagidari ke madhyam se ho, ye sunishchit karna mera pratham kartavya hai. (I am the president of the state’s Congress Committee. We have toiled relentlessly to bring the party in power. It is my primary responsibility to ensure that it gets complete respect, whether it is through appointment, or through participation in the party or the government).”

Sachin Pilot

Sachin Pilot was appointed the state’s Congress president, after the party’s dismal performance in the 2013 Vidhan Sabha elections. Pilot also indicated in his speech that it was the hard work that they put in, which helped increase their chances of forming the government.

In December 2018, the tussle between Gehlot and Pilot began to take shape even before the Congress party came to power. The conflict came to the forefront when the candidate for the Vidhan Sabha elections was being decided.

The rift intensified when the more senior politician of the two, Gehlot, was selected for the chief minister’s post. Since then, reports of tension between Gehlot and Pilot have emerged on multiple occasions.

Attacks on Central Government

Pilot has also, in the last few days, been working alongside the Congress Party in Delhi, to highlight and attack the faults in the BJP-led central government.

"While the entire country is battling the coronavirus pandemic, the central government is repeatedly increasing the petrol-diesel prices and, thereby, the troubles of the poor, those from medium-income groups and the farmers,” he could be heard as saying, in one such video.

In another such attack, in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese forces, Pilot said: "Congress, as well as the entire country, praises the tribute to our recently martyred jawans. Who had sent them unarmed? China is claiming encroachment. The prime minister as well as the Ministry of Defence aren’t able to provide clarity. What are we doing to raise the morale of our soldiers?"

At the moment, the media is rife with speculations about Pilot’s next political move. In such a situation, Pilot alone can provide some clarity and put an end to the speculation.

(With inputs from The Times of India, NDTV)