Rajasthan Crisis Continues: Pilot Stripped Off Party Posts

The political crisis in Rajasthan seems to be far from over with both the Congress leaders, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, sparring over the CM post.
The Congress sacked Sachin as the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress committee chief. Along with Pilot, two ministers who had joined his camp, have also been dropped from the Cabinet, after Sachin failed to attend even the second Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meet called for on Tuesday morning, with the first being held on Monday after the crisis broke out.

Congress cracked a whip on Pilot’s loyalist Mukesh Bhaskar, an MLA from Ladnun, Nagaur, and removed him as Rajasthan youth party chief. Rajasthan education minister Govind Singh Dotasara was appointed as the new Deputy CM, in place of Pilot.

Sachin has been eyeing the CM post as he had steered the party to victory in 2018 after the party’s rout in the 2013 polls but the Congress high command placed trust in the party veteran when it came to leading the state.

Angered over this, 40-year-old Pilot has been expressing his discontentment time and again at several instances.

Since 2018, there was difference among Gehlot and Pilot from the point of selection of candidates. Pilot did not like Gehlot being selected as the CM candidate. However, he was pacified by the Congress high command.

Trouble brewed reportedly following a recent incident of phone tapping.

On June 13, the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) officials tapped a phone conversation between two people who were discussing toppling the Congress government, buying the MLAs and other issues.

However, the SOG officials did not reveal the names of the two persons. On July 10, an FIR was filed on the same issue. The FIR mentioned the names of Kailashgarh MLA Ramila Khadia, Mahendra Singh Malvi. It also stated that the present deputy CM would be made Union minister.

Two persons, namely Ashok Singh, Bharat Malani were arrested, in connection with the phone tapping. There were allegations against three other MLAs too. In connection with this, the SOG asked CM Ashok Gehlot and deputy CM Sachin Pilot to record their statements.

Irked over the notice on poaching charges from within his own party and non-recognition of his services, Pilot declared an open rebellion and moved away from the state along with 30 of his supporters to Manesar in Haryana, obviously, to stake claim to form the government.

Rajasthan Congress MLAs Inder Raj Gurjar, P.R. Meena, G.R. Khatana, Harish Meena are among those who support the leadership of Sachin Pilot.

However, top Congress leaders like Chidambaram and others made as many as 29 calls in the last two days to pacify him but he remained adamant and when all their attempts failed, the party leadership initiated disciplinary action and removed him as the deputy CM and also as the RPCC chief.

Political analysts predict that Pilot would shift loyalties to the BJP and form a new government with himself at the helm of affairs. However, nothing is clear as yet.