‘Core issues unresolved’: Why the Gehlot-Pilot truce brokered by Congress may be short-lived

The unity that the Congress top brass has pitched before the media following a marathon meeting that saw warring Rajasthan leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in attendance may end up being inconsequential. News agency PTI reports citing sources in the Pilot camp that “core issues” between the two leaders remain unresolved.

The Congress claimed on Monday that the issues between the two warring leaders have been resolved and both leaders had agreed to a “proposal” to sort out their differences and contest the Rajasthan Assembly elections unitedly. The leaders, which also included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary organisation KC Venugopal, also posed for photos. Pilot and Gehlot, however, did not speak to the media at all.

Also Read: Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot to fight unitedly, says Congress; high command to now take calls

As per the sources cited by PTI, party president Kharge’s meeting with Gehlot and Pilot was not held together. While both were present at the COngress president’s residence at the same time, Kharge met them and held discussions separately.

Listing the reasons behind the dissatisfaction in the Pilot camp, the leader said that the demands raised by Pilot regarding action against alleged corruption during the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government, reconstituting the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and making fresh appointments, and compensation for those affected by the cancellation of government recruitment exams due to multiple paper leaks, remain unresolved.

Also Read: Sachin Pilot’s ultimatum to Ashok Gehlot: Agree to demands by May-end or face state-wide agitation

The source said that despite the show of unity put up by the Congress top brass, Pilot would continue to raise the issues if they are not addressed by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after the meeting.

The remarks reported by PTI fly in the face of claims made by Venugopal that the leaders had agreed to fight the elections together and left all issues to the high command to resolve.

The meeting on Monday came after Pilot continued to threaten agitation if the Gehlot government did not act on the issues raised by him. Just last month, Pilot defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast over the Gehlot government’s inaction on the alleged corruption during the previous Raje government.

The crisis in the Rajasthan unit of the Congress has been simmering ever since the party came to power in the state in 2018. While Pilot had laid claim to the CM’s chair, the party had then managed to placate him with the post of Deputy CM and RPCC president. The truce, however, did not last long as Pilot rebelled and almost brought down the Gehlot government in 2020.

Pilot was sacked from both posts following the rebellion and attempts by the party’s top leadership to install him as the CM were met with stiff resistance by Gehlot and MLAs loyal to him. Gehlot dug in his heels and a legislature party meeting called to announce a regime change never materialised.

(With PTI inputs)