IPA Webdesk
Congress leader Sachin Pilot stepped up pressure on the party leadership in pursuit of the promises given to him even as he brushed aside claims by BJP leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi that he was at the Congress exit door.
Rita Bahuguna had claimed that she had spoken to Pilot and had reason to believe he would join the BJP soon.
But Sachin Pilot denied her claim. “Rita Bahuguna Joshi has said she has spoken to Sachin. She might have spoken to Sachin Tendulkar. She doesn’t have the courage to speak to me,” Mr Pilot quipped.
After Jyotiraditya Scindia – who left the party for the BJP last year — and Jitin Prasada, Mr Pilot is seen to be a flight risk by a section of the party, though sources close to him have made it clear that he is “not joining the BJP and doing their cow politics”. He has also asserted that he will fight for his share and for reforms from within the Congress.
The former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister has been pressing for his MLAs and supporters to be accommodated in the state’s cabinet and party posts. So far, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has resisted it.
Gehlot has nine cabinet vacancies to fill, and Pilot has reportedly asked for most of them. For the Chief Minister, that is untenable as he has reportedly told party bosses that he can’t neglect independent MLAs and others who supported him when Pilot revolted last year.
In July last, Pilot rushed to Delhi when he was served notice in an investigation into an alleged attempt by BJP MLAs to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan. Pilot camped near Delhi for weeks along with MLAs close to him while Chief Minister Gehlot sequestered Congress MLAs loyal to him at a hotel in Jaipur. The standoff ended with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepping in and persuading Mr Pilot to drop his rebellion.
With inputs from NDTV
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