After Gehlot, Pilot asks Rahul to take over as party chief

JAIPUR: Two days after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, at a Congress Working Committee meeting, asked for the return of Rahul Gandhi as the party’s chief, Rajasthan Congress president and the state’s deputy chief minister, Sachin Pilot, on Thursday, also said Gandhi should again take over as the Congress party president.

“A unanimous resolution was passed by state party organisation urging him to reconsider and take over the reins of the party. We all demand that Rahul Gandhi should take the responsibility again,” said Pilot.

Addressing the press at state party office, Pilot said that many people had, time and again, raised this demand and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should take cognisance of the views of the party workers.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned after the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 and retreated from the party’s organisational role. Gandhi stuck to his position, despite party leaders urging him to reconsider, which eventually led to Sonia Gandhi taking over as the chief again. Rahul Gandhi has taken on a more public role in recent weeks, attacking the government on its management of the coronavirus pandemic and its China policy.

Targeting the central government, Pilot also said, “The country’s economy is already suffering, due to Corona and the government of India is continuously increasing the prices of petrol and diesel and that too when the price of crude oil was falling across the world.” Pilot also attacked the government for its handling of the border situation with China.