After Malviya's fake news campaign, Pilot finds support in Gehlot in election year

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has extended his support to Sachin Pilot while accusing the BJP of insulting former Congress leader and Sachin's father, the late, Rajesh Pilot, following a fake narrative crafted by the saffron party's IT wing chief.

Jaipur:Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot threw his weight behind Sachin Pilot while accusing the BJP of insulting former Congress leader and Sachin's father, the late, Rajesh Pilot. The support also adds credence to the party's central command's claim that all is well between Gehlot and Pilot, in election year.

Gehlot's surprise support came after the BJP IT wing Amit Malviya Malviya falsely claimed that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were flying the Indian Air Force planes that bombed Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, on March 5, 1966.

Gehlot said Rajesh Pilot was a brave pilot of the Indian Air Force. "By insulting him, the BJP is insulting the sacrifice of the Indian Air Force. The whole country should condemn this," the senior Congress leader wrote in post in X, in Hindi.

In reply to Malviya, Sachin said the BJP leader got his facts and dates wrong as his father was commissioned into the force in October that year.

"You have the wrong dates, wrong facts… Yes, as an Indian Air Force pilot, my late father did drop bombs. But that was on erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and not as you claim, on Mizoram on the 5th of March 1966. He was commissioned into the IAF only on 29th October 1966! (Certificate attached) Jai hind and a happy Independence Day(sic)," Pilot wrote tagging the post of Malviya.

Pilot also shared the certificate according to which Rajesh Pilot was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on Oct. 29, 1966.

The 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly will go to elections later this year. Congress central command has been working on two aspects in Rajasthan.

First, breaking the jinx of anti-incumbency where voters have been changing the government every five years. Secondly, sealing an amicable end to the public display of dissonance between the CM and his former deputy.

Party insiders are of the view that the social welfare schemes of the Gehlot government would hold the key to address the anti-incumbency. It remains to be seen whether Gehlot would be able to further warm up to a miffed Pilot, whose demands include action in corruption charges against former BJP CM Vasundhara Raje and revamp of the Rajasthan Public Services Commission, aimed at restoring its reputation which had been marred by paper leaks. (with PTI inputs)