Though veteran Congress leaders and his own supporters are denying the speculation of Pilot floating a new party, Congress leadership will be keeping an eye on a programme at his home turf Dausa later in the day.
Amid speculation of Sachin Pilot breaking away from Congress and forming a new party ahead of the Rajasthan elections, the former Union Minister on Sunday morning took to Twitter to pay homage to his father Rajesh Pilot on his death anniversary.
Read More: ‘Sulah ka Formula’: Congress’ Plan to Abort Pilot’s Take Off Amid Rumours of Him Floating New Party
The Congress leader said he will ‘never compromised’ on his principles, as he and his followers paid tributes to Rajesh Pilot in Dausa, where they will also unveil the late leader’s statue.
“My respected father, I bow down to Shri Rajesh Pilot ji on his death anniversary. His attachment to his workplace, his affinity with the public and his dedicated working style towards public welfare are my guide. He never compromised on his principles considering public interest as paramount. I will always follow his thoughts and ideals,” he tweeted.
Though veteran Congress leaders and his own supporters are denying the speculation of Pilot floating a new party, Congress leadership is keeping an eye on a programme at his home turf Dausa.
All this while, the former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan has remained quiet over the reports of his breaking away from Congress. Now, all eyes are set on Dausa to see if the event turns out to be a show of strength or if Pilot announces a new party.
CONGRESS HOPEFUL OF ‘POSITIVE SOLUTION’
The Congress on Saturday exuded confidence a “positive solution” would be found to the intra-party discord in Rajasthan, even as all eyes remained set on dissident Pilot’s next move.
The Congress has already rubbished reports Pilot will float a new party. It has said he will unitedly contest the next Rajasthan assembly elections.
Asked about the developments in Rajasthan, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Our party president and we surely feel there will be a positive solution to this issue.”
The remark comes amid intense speculation that Pilot may announce his own party or his future plans at the programme in Dausa as he pays tribute to his father on his death anniversary, an event which has been an annual feature for the last over two decades.
The Congress last week had said the party is supreme and will fight the Rajasthan Assembly polls unitedly to emerge victorious, an assertion that came after Pilot refused to budge from his demands.
In a bid to defuse the tensions, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had held marathon discussions with Gehlot and Pilot separately last week, sources had said. They had later posed for photographs at Kharge’s 10 Rajaji Marg residence here.
After the meetings, the party had said Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming assembly elections unitedly and have left all issues to be resolved by Congress high command.
Addressing reporters after the meeting earlier this week, Venugopal had said, “Both the leaders, Ashok ji and Sachin ji, agreed to the proposal on these things.” Asked what proposal he was talking out, Venugopal had said,
“Both have left it to the (party) high command.”
RAJASTHAN CONGRESS TUSSLE
Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party’s state unit president and deputy chief minister.
Last year, an attempt by the high command to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan had failed after Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place.
Pilot had last month defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Gehlot over his “inaction” on alleged corruption during the previous Raje government.
(With inputs from agencies)
