Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday accused senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot of stoking the party’s 2022 turmoil for personal advancement, saying the episode of September 25 was aimed at blocking Pilot’s elevation rather than challenging the Congress high command.
In September 2022, a section of Rajasthan Congress MLAs boycotted a Congress Legislature Party meeting, effectively blocking a leadership-transition plan discussed at the national level. The move came amid speculation that Pilot could be elevated as chief minister, triggering deep factional tensions within the state unit.
Addressing the media in Jaipur on Sunday, Gehlot said the mass gathering of MLAs during the crisis reflected their unwillingness to accept Pilot as chief minister. He argued that if it had truly been a rebellion against the Congress high command, he would not have remained CM afterwards.
“If I had rebelled against the high command, would they have kept me as chief minister?” Gehlot asked, rejecting allegations that he had defied the party leadership.
Gehlot reiterated that around 100 MLAs had gathered during the crisis and expressed loyalty to the party leadership while opposing Pilot’s elevation.
According to him, legislators said they had been confined to hotels during the turmoil and demanded that a leader loyal to the high command be chosen instead of Pilot, whom they linked to an earlier internal rebellion episode in Manesar.
He asked why legislators did not approach Pilot if he was indeed being projected as the next chief minister, suggesting the situation had been shaped by internal narratives and speculation. Revisiting his earlier reconciliation attempt, Gehlot said he had publicly called for a “forgive and forget” approach to the internal crisis.
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He added that misunderstandings and a refusal to accept mistakes have kept the controversy alive.
‘Still consider him like a child’
Gehlot described his long-standing association with Pilot. “I still consider him like a child,” he said, adding that Pilot had now spent years in politics and should understand internal party dynamics better.
At the same time, he suggested Pilot was being influenced by advisors, contributing to continued tensions.
Gehlot said he had helped Pilot secure a Union ministerial position in the past, but expressed disappointment that Pilot never publicly acknowledged his support.
HT reached out to both Pilot and his office for comments on Gehlot’s statement, but did not get any response immediately.
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