Not joining BJP, reiterates Pilot; Cong urges him to return to Jaipur
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister (Dy CM) Sachin Pilot’s rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ended with a whimper when he had to clarify again that he was not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pilot had been stripped of his positions as Dy CM and the party’s state unit chief on Tuesday.
The Congress reacted coolly to the statement. Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: “We’ve seen Pilot’s statement that he won’t join the BJP. I’d like to tell him that if you don’t want that, then leave the security cover of the BJP’S Haryana government, stop all conversations with them and come back to your home in Jaipur.” The BJP did nothing to support him. Speaking at a function held by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), party leader Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier said Pilot was “always in my heart”, was also dismissive. “If anybody wants to leave the party, he/she will. It opens the door for young leaders like you,” he said, indicating that no one was indispensable. This was a message not just to Pilot, but also to those like Jitin Prasada, who have openly lamented the treatment of Pilot.
Pilot was to hold a press conference at 11 am. The time was changed to 1 pm, before it was cancelled altogether.
It was Gehlot who brought out the bells and whistles. In an interaction with reporters in Jaipur on Wednesday, the CM did not mention Pilot by name, but said the “former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president” was himself “doing deals”.
“We have proof that horse trading was going on. Money was offered. And who clarified nothing was happening? Those who were themselves part of the conspiracy are issuing clarifications,” he said. “Our Dy CM and PCC president himself was doing the deal and was giving statements that no horse trading was taking place. What clarifications are you giving when you yourself were involved in it?” asked Gehlot. While mentioning that he (Pilot) has been a Union minister and the state Congress chief, Gehlot said he would have performed well for the nation had he gone through “struggle in his youth”.
“Speaking good English or giving a soundbite is not everything. What you have in your heart, what commitment you have, all this is visible to everyone,” Gehlot added, stressing he had become CM for the third time, but not without extensive struggle in his youth.
The Rajasthan unit of the party has moved to disqualify Pilot as an MLA. It has given him time till Friday to explain his “anti-party activities”. There were others, like general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge, Avinash Pandey, who said that the doors of the party continued to stay open to Pilot. But the MLAS loyal to Pilot also began deserting him. His two closest allies — Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena, both ministers who were stripped of their portfolios — appeared to run for cover as they sought exculpation from the party.
However, the biggest setback to Pilot’s plans was that the BJP did not seem ready to pick up the ball and run with it. Not only did BJP leader Gulab Chand Katariya announce that the party had no plans to move a noconfidence motion against the Gehlot government, but former CM Vasundhara Raje made it clear the party held no brief for Pilot when she said in a tweet: “Gehlot and Pilot are one and the same”, indicating the BJP would have no truck with Pilot.
SPEAKING GOOD ENGLISH OR GIVING A SOUNDBITE IS NOT EVERYTHING. WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEART, WHAT COMMITMENT YOU HAVE, ALL THIS IS VISIBLE TO EVERYONE”