Congress vs Congress, pro-Ashok Gehlot MLAs quit to keep Sachin Pilot out

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, September 25

A massive crisis hit the Congress-ruled Rajasthan Government ahead of the party’s presidential elections, with 92 pro-Ashok Gehlot MLAs submitting their resignations to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi in a show of solidarity with the Chief Minister.

State Congress chief also resigns

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra also resigns in solidarity with Gehlot

If resignations accepted, govt will fall

The development came as a clear signal to the top brass that Sachin Pilot as Gehlot’s successor was unacceptable to them and that the high command could no longer foist their nominee on them. The MLAs, who huddled at the residence of Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal for three hours earlier today, later met Speaker Joshi, backing CM Gehlot. They demanded that the Congress high command should speak to them on the issue of chief ministership. The unprecedented Congress versus Congress events signalled a weakened top brass and came as a major embarrassment to the Gandhis who are unofficially said to be favouring Gehlot as the next Congress president.

All MLAs who resigned today said they wanted either Gehlot to continue as CM or someone from among the 102 MLAs “who slogged to save the state government when Sachin Pilot rebelled in 2020”. The Congress has 108 MLAs in the 200-member House.

With almost all lawmakers behind Gehlot, the Congress Legislature Party meeting which party chief Sonia Gandhi had summoned for 7 pm on Sunday stood cancelled — in another embarrassment for the top brass.

Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said after the meeting of MLAs, “The high command needs to speak to us. It cannot be the sentiment of 92 MLAs against few others. We have met the AICC observers and told them this.”

The first public revolt by Congress MLAs against the party high command is very likely to lead to a situation where Gehlot gets a candidate of his choice to succeed him ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections since Rahul Gandhi has earlier said “one person, one post” needs to be honoured. That is a possibility in case he still runs for the Congress chief post, with the situation going out of hand today. While Gehlot visited a temple in Jaisalmer, Pilot, with nearly 18 MLAs, was huddled separately and kept waiting for the CLP meeting which did not happen. Gehlot in Jaisalmer looked calm and said the new generation should get a chance.

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