As Rahul said, both Pilot and I are assets for the party: Gehlot

Days after he called Congress leader Sachin Pilot a “gaddar” (traitor), Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the two leaders are “assets” to the party, as they came together at a press conference in an ostensible show of unity, days ahead of the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra reaching the state.

On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said both Gehlot and Pilot are assets for the party and their ongoing power tussle will not affect the Yatra.

Gehlot and Pilot on Tuesday appeared for a meeting in Jaipur over preparations for the Congress rally, which is expected to enter the state on December 4.

Asked about Gandhi’s remarks, Gehlot said: “I have said that everyone is united in Rajasthan. When Rahul Gandhi has said that our leaders are assets, then we are assets... where is the dispute then.”

Pilot, who also spoke on the sidelines of the meeting that was chaired by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, said the message of love and brotherhood that Gandhi was spreading through the Yatra was important for the country at this time.

According to a party functionary, Venugopal met both the leaders separately before the meeting.

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. Earlier this year, lawmakers close to Gehlot defied the party leadership’s diktat to allow the highcommand to nominate the next CM – at the time, Gehlot was the frontrunner to become the next Congress chief – because there was speculation that Pilot would become the next CM.

On Thursday, Gehlot told NDTV that Pilot is a who cannot be made the CM. Hitting back, Pilot said the remarks were unbecoming of a senior leader.