After meeting Rahul and Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot agree to fight assembly polls unitedly

This meeting marks the first face-to-face interaction between the Rajasthan Chief Minister and his former deputy in the presence of top party leaders after a significant gap.

New Delhi: In an effort to resolve the infighting within the Rajasthan Congress, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his adversary Sachin Pilot met party leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in the national capital on Monday with sources saying that the top party leadership was able to make the two Rajasthan leaders reach an agreement over fighting the upcoming assembly polls unitedly.

"Both Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to fight assembly polls unitedly," AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said after meeting both Rajasthan leaders. Gehlot initially met Kharge at his residence, followed shortly by Gandhi joining them. The three of them held discussions for about half an hour, after which Sukhjinder Randhawa, the Congress party's in-charge for Rajasthan, was also called in.

Sachin Pilot, who has been criticizing the Gehlot government for its alleged inaction on corruption during the previous BJP-led government, joined the meeting at Kharge's residence two hours later. The meeting continued till late Monday evening. This meeting marks the first face-to-face interaction between the Rajasthan Chief Minister and his former deputy in the presence of top party leaders after a significant gap.

The meeting was attended by Venugopal and party leader Jitendra Singh from Rajasthan. Kharge and Gandhi are currently engaging with leaders from states that are due for assembly elections, aiming to formulate the party's strategy to counter the BJP in these regions.

Additionally, the party leadership is actively working towards resolving the internal conflicts within the Rajasthan unit ahead of the assembly polls, aiming to reconcile the differences between the two leaders. The Congress brass has already held discussions with top leaders from Madhya Pradesh in the morning, after which Gandhi said the party would win 150 seats in the state.

Prior to the meeting, Gehlot emphasized that the party's high command remains strong and will not offer positions to appease any leader or worker. This gathering comes shortly after Pilot's "ultimatum" stating that if his three demands were not met by the end of the month, he would initiate a statewide agitation. One of Pilot's demands is a thorough investigation into alleged scams that occurred during Vasundhara Raje's tenure as Chief Minister.

When questioned by reporters, Gehlot refuted the notion of offering positions to leaders in exchange for appeasement, stating that such practices are not a tradition within the Congress party. He dismissed reports of a formula being devised to accommodate Pilot, attributing them to media fabrication or planted stories by certain individuals. Gehlot asserted that the Congress party and its high command possess a strong foundation, and no leader or worker has the audacity to demand positions in such a manner.

The power struggle between Gehlot and Pilot has persisted since the Congress formed the government in Rajasthan in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led an unsuccessful rebellion against the Gehlot government, resulting in his removal from the positions of state unit president and deputy chief minister. Last month, Pilot defied warnings from the party and conducted a day-long fast, targeting Gehlot for his perceived inaction on corruption allegations during the previous Raje government.

Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a failed revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of party's state unit president and deputy chief minister.