The way the differences between Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot have risen to new highs, it seems the Congress leadership could not read it properly. Probably, it was caught sleeping, as usual. At least the senior leaders of the Congress party say so.
Sachin Pilot flew to Delhi with 25 Rajasthan MLAs on the morning hours on Sunday, July 12. Sachin Pilot, since morning, has been untraceable for the Congress party. It is only by the evening only that Rahul Gandhi gave time to meet Sachin Pilot.
Interestingly, Sachin met Congress’s former member and now the face of rebels, Jyotiraditya Scindia in the afternoon at his residence. One can comprehend the meanings of this meeting.
Many senior members of the Congress party raised questions on the intentions and thought-process of the party leadership, i.e. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Kapil Sibal, one of the reputed lawyers in India and a very senior Congress leader tweeted in the morning, “I am worried about the party”. Clearly, he was raising questions on the way the party leadership has been tackling the issues.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, another senior lawyer and senior party member from Rajasthan, said that the issues can be resolved if the initiative is taken well in time.
The rift between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot was visible even before the assembly elections in Rajasthan. They fought over the candidates. Once they managed to get the majority, they fought over the chief ministership. Somehow, these rifts were put to rest, but not for long.
This time, the state leadership has gone too far and filed FIRs against Sachin Pilot, a route that officially blocks Sachin’s return to the party. And in that case, given the political acumen, the BJP leaders have shown in the last 6 years, this is more than enough for the BJP to topple the government in Rajasthan.
While 10 Janpath appears taking Gehlot’s side, there are many MLAs that support the fresh blood. It is expected that, if nothing concrete happens in Rahul-Sachin meeting on Sunday evening, Sachin might make a move out by Monday or Tuesday. And, like many MLAs followed Scindia in Madhya Pradesh, many MLAs might follow Sachin in Rajasthan, creating a huge identity crisis for the Ashok Gehlot government in the state.
