Pilot strikes conciliatory note after Cong top brass meets R'sthan leaders

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, July 6

After Chhattisgarh, the Congress seems to have successfully managed to put its house in order in Rajasthan also as disgruntled leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday struck a conciliatory tone after the top brass had a meeting with the party’s Rajasthan leaders.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal held a four-hour-long meeting today with the party’s Rajasthan leaders, including Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, to formulate strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. Gehlot, who has fractured his leg, took part in the meeting through video-conferencing.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Pilot said three major issues that he had been raising — corruption by the previous BJP government, reforms in the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and the recruitment examination paper leak — had been taken note of by the party. “The goal now is to defeat the BJP in the coming Assembly elections with an even bigger margin than in 2018,” Pilot said. In Chhattisgarh, Congress made rebel leader TS Singh Deo Deputy Chief Minister to end the infighting in party’s state unit.

Speculation is rife that Pilot might be offered the Rajasthan Congress chief’s post so that he could have a say in the distribution of ticket to candidates. Briefing reporters, Venugopal said “preparatory meetings” had already been held for Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram — four states besides Rajasthan where Assembly polls are slated to be held later this year.

Venugopal, who was accompanied by party’s Rajasthan in charge Sukhjinder Randhawa, said the party would put up a united front in Rajasthan. “The Congress has a very strong chance of winning a second straight term in the state,” he claimed.

“If there are differences between two Congress leaders in Rajasthan, they will be expected to sort out these out internally,” Venugopal said and warned of disciplinary action in case of a public spat.

Referring to Pilot’s concern about the paper leak and his demand for reconstitution of RPSC, Venugopal said a strong and transparent law was being enacted to address these issues.

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