With Sachin Pilot firm on holding a day-long fast on Tuesday to press his party-led government in Rajasthan for action against graft, the Congress on Monday made it abundantly clear that his proposed fast will be treated as an “anti-party activity”, The Indian Express reported.
In a surprise late-night statement on Monday, AICC in-charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, “Sachin Pilot’s day-long fast tomorrow is against party interests and is (an) anti-party activity. If there is any issue with his own government, it can be discussed in the party forums instead of in the media and public.”
Pilot, speaking at a presser on Sunday, said that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was sitting on corruption cases against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government. He added that he would sit on fast until action is taken on such cases.
The move by Pilot to open a new front against Gehlot amid the factional fighting is seen as an attempt to pressure the party high command to resolve the leadership issue ahead of the year-end polls.
Randhawa further said he has been an AICC in-charge for the last five months and Pilot has never discussed the issue with him.
“This is clear anti-party activity. I am in touch with him and I still appeal for calm dialogue since he is an indisputable asset to the Congress,” Randhawa said.
High command sources told IE that Randhawa had spoken to Pilot and asked him to come to Delhi to discuss issues he had raised during his Sunday press conference. Earlier, Randhawa had planned to go to Jaipur to meet Pilot, but later changed his mind, and instead called Pilot to Delhi.
Meanwhile, there has been no statement from Ashok Gehlot on the matter.