Jaipur: Amid his ongoing power tussle with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, ex-Rajasthan Congress president and dissident party leader Sachin Pilot has said that the party high command had nothing to do with his demand of action against 'corruption' during previous Vasundhara Raje government as it was the responsibility of the state government.
“See, the action has to be taken by the government. What has the AICC to do in it? Ordering an inquiry is all in the government's hands. I urge the Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot), who is also the Finance Minister and the Home Minister of the state that we will need to take some solid steps to restore confidence among the people,” Pilot said in an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat.
Pilot was speaking on the sidelines of the public meeting in Rajasthan capital Jaipur on the culmination of five-day Jan Sangharash Yatra on Monday, which he started from Ajmer on May 11 in order to press for his demands. On completion of his yatra, Pilot have an ultimatum of 15 days to the Ashok Gehlot government to act on his three demands or face agitation. Besides acting against the “corruption” during Vasundhara Raje'e government.
Pilot asked CM Ashok Gehlot to disband the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and its reconstitution, and compensate the job aspirants hit by the cancellation of job exams due to paper leaks, which have marred the credibility of the board. Speaking over the issue of corruption, Pilot said the Rajasthan Congress had vehemently raised the issue of corruption during Raje's tenure.
“Now it has been four and half years we are in power, I thought action should have been taken by now,” he said. He said that it was necessary to act against the corruption in the state to restore the confidence among the people. “We raised the issue of corruption against chief minister Bommai in Karnataka and people embraced us and we won with a thumping majority there. Similarly, we need to act in Rajasthan, otherwise how will we face the people when we go to them to ask for votes,” Pilot said while referring to upcoming assembly elections.
Pilot said that Jan Sangharsh Yatra is not against individual, but against corruption “which is destroying the future of youth like termites, especially in Rajasthan”.
