Rahul-Pilot meeting sparks speculations; BJP on backfoot
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File photo: Rahul Gandhi had posted th this picture with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot on twitter after the assembly elections in Rajasthan
Jaipur: The meeting between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot in New Delhi on Monday has sparked a slew of speculations in political circles in Rajasthan.
For the first time after estranging himself from the Gehlot government, Pilot registered his formal protest against Gehlot with the party high command. He is believed to have told Gandhi that he had not turned anti-Congress. He was merely standing up against ‘arbitrariness’ of Gehlot and the way he was being side-lined in the government despite being a deputy chief minister.
While some pundits believe this will give an entirely new twist to the ongoing political drama with Gehlot likely to be replaced by some other Congress leader in Rajasthan (not Pilot) as chief minister, many other claimed that efforts were on to patch things between Gehlot and Pilot. In fact, MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma from Sachin Pilot camp met Gehlot at his residence on Monday.
Sources said that Pilot met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The meeting went on for nearly two hours. Sources said the party high command is planning to form a committee of senior Congress leaders to discuss the grievances of Pilot and work out a solution. However, it has been made clear that Pilot wouldn’t be made the next chief minister.
The ice has began to melt for several reasons. The Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) has withdrawn the FIR in the horse trading case. It had already done away with the sedition charges. Gehlot camp had also indicated that the party high command’s decision would be acceptable to him and the MLAs from his camp.
Gehlot has written an emotional letter to all the MLAs and requested them not to be part of the conspiracy to topple the government. He said that they should pay heed to their conscience and take a decision in this regard accordingly.
While the speculations are rife, it has become clear that the chances of Pilot joining the BJP are slim to none.
The assembly session will begin on August 14.
