Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot Congress 'assets': Rahul on 'gaddar' row

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Published : Nov 28, 2022, 1:34 PM IST

Updated : Nov 28, 2022, 5:58 PM IST

Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Jodo Yatra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday said Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot were "assets" to the party. His reaction came after Gehlot called Pilot 'gaddar' (traitor) in a recent interview with a news channel.

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Amid the controversy arising after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called his former deputy Sachin Pilot 'traitor', Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday said both the leaders are "assets" to the party and the remarks and counter-remarks by both the leaders is not going to impact Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"See I don't want to comment on who said what. Both these leaders are assets to Congress. But I can guarantee that it (controversy) will not have any impact on Bharat Jodo Yatra," Rahul said as he was addressing a press conference near Indore.

Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot Congress 'assets': Rahul on 'gaddar' row

The Wayanad MP also said the decision to contest again from Amethi would be taken after one or one-and-a-half years. "At present, my focus is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra," he said. Union minister Smriti Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi in his family's bastion Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

On Thursday, Gehlot in an interview to a news channel said that Pilot was a 'gaddar' (traitor) who cannot replace him as he had revolted against Congress in 2020 and tried to topple the state government, drawing a sharp response from his former deputy who said such "mud-slinging" would not help.

Some reporters also asked Rahul whether he would like to contest again from Amethi if given an opportunity, as the road to power in Delhi goes via Uttar Pradesh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also contested from Varanasi in UP. To this, the Congress leader said, "I don't want to give any headline to the media as at present my focus is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra."

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"See, once again these are all attempts to distract from the main idea. You want newspapers to say tomorrow whether I will contest from Amethi or not," he said. "I want the newspapers to write about the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the ideas and philosophy behind the yatra," he said. "The answer to your question will come maybe in a year or year-and-a-half," he said.

To a query on plans for solving the unemployment problem in the country, Rahul said the main problem at present is that the entire wealth of the nation is confined in the hands of three-four industrialists. The Congress will focus on creating small-scale enterprises to generate more employment opportunities in the country, he said.

"I want the government to participate in education and health care and pump in more money in these sectors," Rahul said. The government should sense the voice of the people, he added. Rahul also said his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative, was raising the voice of the nation.

On attacks over his attire and looks during the yatra, Rahul said, "The problem with the BJP is that its spends thousands of crore to tarnish my image. But, the amount of money it would spend on tarnishing my image, I would get the same amount of strength as truth cannot be hidden."

"Personal attacks come as you fight against a big power...this shows that I am on the right path. The BJP's personal attacks on me are my guru, which have taught me the right path, he said. "I am gradually understanding the ideology of the BJP and the RSS," he said.

Last Updated :Nov 28, 2022, 5:58 PM IST
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