Both Gehlot, Pilot are assets for Cong: Rahul
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot are assets for the party and their ongoing tussle will not affect the Bharat Jodo Yatra, party leader and parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi said on Monday.
Gandhi was addressing a press conference in Indore when he was asked about the latest verbal battle between Gehlot and his former deputy. On Thursday, Gehlot told news channel NDTV that Pilot is a “gaddar” (traitor) who cannot be made the chief minister. Hitting back, Pilot said the remarks were unbecoming of a senior leader. “I don’t want to say anything on (their) comments. Both leaders are assets for us and I can say it won’t affect the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Gandhi told reporters.
Both Pilot and Gehlot have
been bitter rivals for years but things came to a head in 2020 when the former rebelled against Gehlot’s leadership. Then, earlier this year, lawmakers considered close to Gehlot defied the party leadership’s diktat to allow the high-command to nominate the next CM – at the time, Gehlot was the front-runner to become the next Congress president – because there was speculation that Pilot would become the next chief minister. The war of words between Gehlot and Pilot erupted before the Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to enter Rajasthan on Dec 4.