In the backdrop of the political turmoil going on in Rajasthan, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal tweeted that he is worried for the party.
Also read: Govt is stable, all Congress MLAs in touch with me, State in-charge Avinash Pande
So far, the Congress has been maintaining a radio silence even as speculation is going on about a possible rebellion led by Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has called for a meeting of MLAs and independent legislators who are supporting his government.
Mr. Sibal tweeted, “Worried for our party. Will we wake up only after the horses have bolted from our stables?” He refused to elaborate. “I do not wish to add anything more,” Mr. Sibal told The Hindu.
Tipping point for Pilot
The differences between Mr. Pilot and Mr. Gehlot have been brewing for a while now but as per sources the tipping point for Mr. Pilot was the probe ordered by Rajasthan police into ‘paoching’ of MLAs and a notice sent to him to record his statement. The police have sent a notice to Mr. Gehlot too.
Also read: Congress, BJP MLAs in Manesar hotel?
Last week, Mr. Pilot had reached out to Congress treasurer and senior leader Ahmed Patel to sort out the issues and some efforts were made but they remained inconclusive.
“His [Mr. Pilot]’s main grouse is that the Congress had won in Rajasthan due to his efforts but he was not rewarded for it. Instead, the bureaucracy doesn’t pay heed to him even in his own constituency,” a senior Congress leader said.
Sachin Pilot 'humiliated': sources
Meanwhile, a source in the Sachin Pilot camp confirmed to The Hindu that many of the MLAs supporting the Deputy Chief Minister were in a hotel or homes of relatives in the Manesar/Gurgaon area.
The source said Mr. Pilot felt that he had been publicly humiliated by Chief Minister Gehlot by the notice served by the Rajasthan police to give a statement following a sedition and conspiracy case registered by the Rajasthan police.
“The police sending a similar notice to the Chief Minister was just a pretext to harass Mr. Pilot,” the source stated, adding that Mr. Pilot was likely to meet the MLAs loyal to him before deciding on a course of action.
“If the action had been taken by a BJP government, one could understand that. But this is being done by the Chief Minister of the Congress party against his own deputy,” the source added.
