New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday gave hints that the party did not want to make a martyr out of Sachin Pilot by taking action against him but made its preference clear by endorsing the leadership of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
Though Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh was to come out with a detailed statement over the Rajasthan issue Tuesday evening, the party managers decided to withhold the move. Instead, efforts to work out a peace formula between arch-rivals Gehlot and Pilot were increased. According to party insiders, both Randhawa and a senior AICC general secretary played a key role in diffusing the crisis.
“The thought within the party is not to make a martyr out of Pilot by taking action against him for going ahead with the fast despite a warning. After all, he is demanding action in corruption cases against former BJP chief minister Vasundhara Raje and not against any party leader,” said a senior AICC functionary on condition of anonymity.
The leader further said that the party recognizes both Gehlot and Pilot as assets for the Congress which is trying hard to retain power in Rajasthan through a slew of welfare schemes launched by the state government. Though a section of the AICC had viewed Pilot’s fast as an act of indiscipline, others feel the issue needs to be dealt with greater care.
Speaking on the matter, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that the party's focus currently lies on strengthening itself. “The party has taken a view. There is a popular government in the state, the chief minister is delivering and the welfare schemes are going down well with the people. The focus is on strengthening the party and on effective implementation of the welfare schemes for a renewed mandate a few months down the line. The larger national objective is important for the Congress and that is what the party is striving for,” he said.
“There are party rules on what comes within indiscipline and what does not. It is not for me to comment on the issue. Differences of opinion are common among political parties,” Sharma added.
While the Congress top brass, including state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, had reacted strongly on Monday by terming the proposed fast as anti-party activity, the party managers did not come out with a hurried response after the fast ended on Tuesday evening.
Anand Sharma’s statement reflected the new line of thought among the party strategists, who pointed out that it was crucial for the Congress to win the key 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to defeat the BJP ahead of the larger 2024 national battle.
“The Congress is certainly going to win Karnataka and we hope to win Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh after that. The year 2023 is going to be bad for the BJP and 2024 will be different,” said Sharma, adding that his home state Himachal Pradesh had given a message to the BJP in 2022 by giving a clear mandate to the Congress despite the entire top BJP leadership campaigning in the hill state. “The size of the state is not important,” he said.
