Tariq Anwar [file photo]
New Delhi: Even as Rajasthan Congress in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said on Friday that he is keeping a close tab on the developments in the desert state and has shared his views on party leader Sachin Pilot’s padayatra with party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar said that he has not received any complaint against former Deputy Chief Minister Pilot.
“I have not received any recommendation for disciplinary action against Pilot. Even if any recommendation comes, it will come from the Congress President. I don’t have any information yet,” said Anwar, who is also a member of the party’s disciplinary committee.
His remarks came after Randhawa held a meeting with Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and co-incharges Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore on Friday.
After the two-hour meeting, Randhawa told the media that he is keeping a close tab on the developments in the state and will submit a report to the Kharge after he returns from Karnataka.
When asked if he will take any action against Pilot, who is holding the ‘Jan Sangharsh’ padayatra and has targeted Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot by saying that it seems that his leader is Vasundhra Raje, and not Sonia Gandhi, Randhawa said, “I will not reveal what action I have to take. I am watching everything.”
He also dubbed the Pilot’s padayatra from Ajmer to Jaipur as personal.
On Thursday, a senior member of the party, who is also part of the disciplinary committee, said that Pilot crossed the line on May 9 when he held a press conference, just a day before the crucial Assembly polls in Karnataka, which incidentally collided with the visit Rahul Gandhi to Rajasthan.
Pilot launched his 125-km foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur on Thursday to raise the issue of corruption and cases of paper leaks in government recruitment exams.
The five-day yatra is being seen as a pressure tactics by Pilot on the party leadership, with just months to go before Rajasthan goes to the polls.
On Tuesday, the day Rahul Gandhi visited Rajasthan, Pilot had slammed Gehlot by saying that his leader is Vasundhra Raje, and not Sonia Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, Pilot had said, “This fact has become clear from the speech of the Chief Minister, which he delivered the day before yesterday in Dholpur.”
Pilot also raised questions over Gehlot’s statement “that praised BJP leaders, but tarnished the image of the party’s own MPs and MLAs”.
On Sunday, Gehlot had said that former CM Vasundhara Raje and two BJP leaders, namely Kailash Meghwal and Shobharani Kushwaha, helped him save his government.
Commenting on Gehlot’s statement, Pilot had said, “Gehlot should explain why there are two faces to his statement. He says BJP was trying to topple the government, and at the same time he also says that Raje was trying to save his government… What exactly does he want to say?”
On April 11, Pilot had defied a warning from the party to hold a daylong fast targeting Gehlot for his “inaction” over alleged corruption when the BJP was in power in the state.
This post was last modified on May 12, 2023 7:37 pm