NEW DELHI: The mutual appreciation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot during an official programme on Tuesday has intensified the internal rift in the Congress. Citing the example of former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot has raised questions over the next move of Gehlot.
Talking to media persons on Wednesday, Pilot said the PM’s praise of Gehlot was interesting and should not be taken lightly.
"The remarks of the PM and the praises that he made I understand that it is an interesting development because he had praised Ghulam Nabi Azad in a similar fashion inside Parliament. We have seen the series of developments it led to. Therefore, the PM's lavish praise yesterday should not be taken lightly," he said.
He recalled that a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was convened in September to elect a successor to Gehlot but it could not happen. The CM himself felt sorry and apologised to the Congress and also to former party president Sonia Gandhi for that, he said.
Pilot said the central observers, Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge, who had visited Jaipur, had taken a serious view of the incident. After taking cognisance of all these, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) considered it an issue of indiscipline. It issued notices to three people. It is learnt that replies have been given to the AICC, he said.
The former deputy CM said, “But I believe that the Congress is an old and disciplined party. Rules and regulations are the same for all in the party. Therefore, a decision should be taken soon if indiscipline has been committed, show cause notices have been issued and explanations have been given.”
Pilot said howsoever big a person may be, but the party's discipline, rules and regulations apply to all. “I believe (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji, who has recently taken over as Congress president, will soon take a decision over this matter. This cannot happen that no decision is taken after the incident was considered as indiscipline, notices were issued, explanations were sought. I believe that decision will be taken and it will happen soon,” he said.
Notices were issued to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal, chief whip and PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi and RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore after MLAs of the Ashok Gehlot camp had skipped the CLP meeting and met separately at Dhariwal's residence to thwart any move by the party to make Pilot the new CM.
Modi had praised Ghulam Nabi Azad on the latter's farewell in the Rajya Sabha in February 2021. Coming down heavily of Rahul Gandhi, Azad quit the Congress earlier this year and formed a political party of his own in Jammu and Kashmir. Pilot may have hinted that Gehlot may also go Azad way.
A power struggle is going on in Rajasthan between Gehlot and Pilot factions. The state is likely to go to polls in November-December next year.
What had happened on November 1
In a high profile function in Mangarh Dham situated in Banswara of Rajasthan, Gehlot lavishly praised Modi. He said the country was achieving historic feats one after the other. He said these in the presence of two other CMs – Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat and Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh.
Gehlot said, “We were slaves once upon a time and now our country has achieved great heights. Prime Minister Modi receives huge respect whenever he visits abroad. It is because he is the PM of a country of Mahatma Gandhi where the roots of democracy are strong and deep and where democracy is alive even after 70 years of independence. The world feels proud when it realises that Modi is coming from such a country. You can realise how this country has moved forward.”
Modi too showered praises on Gehlot, calling him one of the seniormost CMs. In his address, the PM said, “It is a matter of pleasure for me that I had the opportunity to visit the holy place and bow my head here. As a CM, Ashok ji and I used to work together. Ashok ji was seniormost among the group of chief ministers. He is still one of the seniormost CMs. And even now, Ashok ji is one of the seniormost CMs among those who are sitting on the dais.”
Gehlot kept smiling as the PM kept lauding him.
What the Rajasthan CM said went against the grain of his party’s official line which always bashes the PM. The principal opposition party’s latest issue to attack Modi is the bridge collapse in Gujarat on October 30 killing more than 130 people.
The Congress also attacks Modi for his foreign visits and “lack of democracy” in the country under his government. However, Gehlot sang paeans about the country’s progress, strengthening of democracy and its rising respect in the world.
Of late, Gehlot has been taking a line different from his party leadership and is getting away with it. The latest in the series is his praise of Modi.
Besides not following the party line on the CLP meeting issue, Gehlot had also invited businessman Gautam Adani to invest in his state even though party leaders, particularly Rahul Gandhi, accuse the latter of getting undue favours from Modi.
