Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday accused senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot of stoking party unrest in 2022 for personal progress, saying the September 25 incident was aimed at derailing Pilot’s elevation rather than challenging the Congress high command.
In September 2022, a section of Congress members in Rajasthan boycotted a meeting of the Congress party’s legislature, effectively derailing the leadership transition plan being discussed at the national level. The move came amid speculation that Pilot could be promoted to the position of prime minister, sparking tensions between factions within the state unit.
Speaking to the media in Jaipur on Sunday, Gehlot said the mass gathering of MLAs during the crisis reflects their unwillingness to accept Pilot as chief minister. He said that if it was indeed a rebellion against the Congress high command, he would not have remained president then.
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“If I had rebelled against the high command, would they have kept me as prime minister?” Gehlot asked, rejecting allegations that he challenged the party leadership.
Gehlot maintained that around 100 MLAs had gathered during the crisis and expressed their loyalty to the party leadership while opposing Pilot’s elevation.
According to him, the lawmakers said they remained confined to hotels during the agitation and demanded the selection of a leader loyal to the high command instead of Pilot, whom they linked to an earlier incident of internal rebellion in Manesar.
He wondered why lawmakers had not approached Pilot if he was already expected to become the next prime minister, suggesting the situation had been shaped by internal narratives and speculation. Reconsidering his previous attempt at reconciliation, Gehlot said he had publicly called for a “forgive and forget” approach to the internal crisis.
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He added that misunderstanding and refusal to accept mistakes kept the controversy going.
“I still treat him like a child.”
Guillot described his long-standing association with the pilot. “I still consider him like a child,” he said, adding that Pilot has now spent years in politics and should understand the party’s internal dynamics better.
At the same time, he suggested that Pilot was influenced by advisors, which contributed to continuing tensions.
Gehlot said he had helped Pilot get a Union ministerial position in the past, but expressed disappointment that Pilot had never publicly acknowledged his support.
HT reached out to Pilot and his office for comment on Gehlot’s statement, but did not immediately receive any response.
