New Delhi: Even as Congress leader Sachin Pilot was on his Jan Sangharsh Padayatra from Ajmer to Jaipur, Rajasthan party in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that he was keeping a close tab on the developments in the state and will submit a report to the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge after he returns from Karnataka.
Randhawa had called a meeting with the Rajasthan unit chief, Govind Singh Dotasra, party’s co-in-charges for Rajasthan Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore on Friday.
After the meeting, which lasted for over two hours, Randhawa told the media, “I am keeping a complete tab on the entire development in Rajasthan and once Khargeji returns from Karnataka I will share my report with him.”
When asked if he will take any action on Pilot, who is holding Jan Sangharsh padayatra and has also targeted Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the Congress leader said, “Whatever action I have to take, I will not reveal. I am watching everything.” He also dubbed the foot march of Pilot from Ajmer to Jaipur as personal.
His remarks came after the leaders held a crucial meeting in the national capital at the party’s war room here.
A source said that during the meeting, the leaders also discussed the challenge posed by Pilot’s Jan Sangharsh Yatra.
Pilot launched a 125-km padayatra from Ajmer to Jaipur on Thursday to raise the issue of corruption and cases of paper leak in government recruitment exams.
The five-day yatra is being seen as a pressure tactic by Pilot on the party leadership, with just months ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in the desert state.
On Tuesday, the day former party chief Rahul Gandhi visited Rajasthan, Pilot slammed Gehlot saying that his leader is Vasundhara 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 raised questions on Gehlot’s statement “that praised BJP leaders, but tarnished the image of the party’s own MPs and MLAs”. On Sunday, Gehlot said that former CM Vasundhara Raje and two BJP leaders, namely Kailash Meghwal and Shobharani Kushwaha, helped him in saving his government. Speaking on Gehlot’s statement, Pilot said, “Gehlot should explain why there are two faces to his statement. If he says that BJP was trying to topple the government and on the other side, he says that Raje was trying to save his government, then what does he want to say.”
On April 11, Pilot, who was also the former deputy chief minister, had defied a warning from the party to hold a daylong fast targeting Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on “inaction” over alleged corruption when the BJP was previously in power.
Pilot and Gehlot have been engaged in a bitter tussle for power in the state Congress unit and in government. Pilot is continuously raising the issue of no action being taken against the corruption during BJP rule.
–IANS
Comments are closed.