HAVE NO ILL WILL TOWARDS THE CM: SACHIN PILOT

SACHIN PILOT, Former deputy CM, Rajasthan

Rajasthan’s former deputy CM Sachin Pilot spoke to HT about his revolt, why he went incommunicado along with 18 MLAs, his response to personal remarks by chief minister Ashok Gehlot, what he gained from the dissent, and the road ahead.

Edited excerpts:

What have the last 30 days been like for you?

About three-four weeks ago, I was served a notice under sedition charges and as deputy chief minister and party president, I felt it was unwarranted. A lot of us were deeply hurt by that, and a few of our colleagues wanted to come to Delhi to tell the party organisation not just about the one issue, but also about many things we had been contemplating for long. Once that started, a lot of other developments happened, but I think ultimately the objective was to bring the grassroots feedback to the leadership. We were well within our rights to raise the issue within the party forum, and we said that we were raising the issue as Congressmen. I don’t think anything we did was at all anti-party. cerned, trying to take advantage of what is going on, they have done some politics. We had made very clear from the beginning that there was no question of leaving the party or joining any other party.

Let’s go back to the sequence of events on July 10, when the crisis in the Congress’s Rajasthan unit started. Couldn’t you have spoken to the Gandhis then like you did yesterday?

There are people in different hierarchies responsible for the communication within the party leadership in Delhi and Rajasthan. Those channels didn’t work out very well, as we know in hindsight. Because the actions were being taken very quickly in Jaipur, between the notices and court cases and suspensions, it came to pass that we had to do what we had to do. Because if we didn’t fight and stand up for what we believed in, we wouldn’t be here today. I’m very happy that the Congress president has now assured all of us that a timebound road map is being evolved to redress issues that were raised.

When you were incommunicado, what was the objective in your mind?

First of all, all of us were here in Delhi and were never incommunicado; we were talking to people, we were moving around. I met a lot of colleagues, and it was not as if anyone was bound anywhere. But yes, some of my colleagues felt apprehensive of the police. The kind of things that were said while we were here making our grievances heard, it wasn’t charitable.

Let’s talk about that -- your former boss said that you are nothing but a good-looking face, that your qualifications were just that you spoke English, and otherwise you were a nikamma and nakaara (good for nothing). At that time, did you think that maybe you needed to look at another party?

No, no, not for a moment. But I have to admit when I heard some of the language used against me, it did deeply hurt me. I felt I was wronged and aggrieved, and then to hear the things that I heard. To say the least, it wasn’t charitable and was unparliamentary. But two wrongs don’t make a right. I chose not to respond.

The Congress said that throughout that their door was open. What made you talk to them on Monday and not before?

I know what everyone was saying, but the actions were totally opposite. A lot of our colleagues who were ministers were now police suspects. Those actions were also a major aspect of what went on in the past few weeks.

Would you care to share the role Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi played in the entire episode? Was Priyanka in touch with you throughout?

Priyanka did come last night when the MLAs were there, and had a detailed discussion with every single one of them. We appreciated her taking time out and, as a general secretary of the party, she’s played a role. I met Rahulji and Priyanka Gandhi yesterday at Mr Gandhi’s house and, as then party president, it was Rahul Gandhi who said to me that I should work as deputy CM. He chose Mr Gehlot as chief minister and he did lean on me to become deputy and continue as state unit president. But in the last 18 months, what has transpired... I had to share because it was important for the party to know.

The CM said in the 18 months since the Rajasthan government was formed, he’s never spoken with you. Is that true?

(Laughs) I didn’t say that, the CM has said that. But it gives you an insight of what the happenings were there. When I was party president for five years, I didn’t seem to have those disqualifications and negativities attached to me. Just in 18 months, they have come to the fore? Bringing a party back to power when we were down to 21 MLAs after elections were lost when Ashokji was CM. At that time, Rahul Gandhiji asked me to be state chief and showed faith in me. Even though I was younger than other leaders, it was my responsibility to take everyone along. There were differences even then but, as head of the family, I left no stone unturned to carry everyone under one umbrella. I think the same course applies for the head of the government.

In the end, it is the CM who held on to the support and you couldn’t get the numbers together...

It’s never a competition about who’s got more. Whoever the party makes CM will have the majority. The number of MLAs and leaders who had things to say were depending on me to be their voice. I did that.

Thirty days later, you are no longer the deputy CM or Rajasthan Congress chief. Do you regret it?

If you are taking a position just to have a house and a car, I don’t think it’s worth anyone’s time. As a political person, you are there to do a job, to do governance, to deliver development; and if you don’t have the space and the resources and the authority to do that, then mere positions don’t matter. I have said that whatever the party wants me to do, I am happy to do it, I have done it for more than 20 years and leadership can decide what my role can or cannot be.

What will you tell the CM when you meet him on the 14th?

I have nothing but kind words and warmth to offer him at a personal level. Professionally, our objectives should remain the same - to deliver to the expectations of the people of Rajasthan. I have no animosity, no ill will, no negative sentiment towards him.