Gehlot's 'high command' dig at Sachin exposes illusion of Cong unity

Archana Sharma
Jaipur, Oct 8 (IANS) A surprising silence between the Gehlot and Pilot camps seen in the last few months was being discussed in political corridors in Rajasthan. However, recently this lull was broken when Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took a dig at Sachin Pilot, terming him as the "High Command".

This one sentence revealed the existing ongoing fight within the party even as the Assembly polls are nearand exposed the fake narrative set by the party that all is well within its confines in the state.

Dismissing the talks, Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, while speaking to IANS on fractions in Congress, had said, “Where are fractions? Have you ever seen anybody from our party speaking against each other.”

However, the drama of burying the hatchet, at least in public, to project a united front in the upcoming Assembly elections was over when Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot once again took a dig at Sachin Pilot.

In a query on Pilot's role in ticket distribution at a programme in Jaipur on Thursday, Gehlot said, ”Sachin Pilot is the leader of our party. Now he himself has become the high command. There is no need to tell the high command (what to do).

"When the high command itself distributes the tickets, then Pilot will also have a role (in the exercise),” he said, adding, "Being a CWC member is a big thing.”

As per political experts, “The comment appears to be a jibe at Pilot's membership of the party's highest decision making body.”

It was like a temporary truce which was being displayed by two Congress camps ever since the high command called a meeting in Delhi a few months ago. Ever since this meeting, neither Pilot group spoke on anything controversial nor Gehlot camp, said the party workers.

However, the timing of this comment is also in discussion. Congress leaders said that Gehlot and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra recently had a tiff over the party’s consultant agency ‘Design box'. Dotasra had issues with this agency who was portraying only the CM's face in all its posters with no other signs and symbols of Congress party and no other leaders.

He reportedly took this issue to Congress high command as well which was equally unhappy over the posters, said sources.

Meanwhile Naresh Arora, co-founder, Design Box, in his post on X said, "Sections of the media are cooking up imaginary stories of a meeting between me and the honourable RPCC chief Shri Govind Singh Dotasara. I have the utmost respect for him and for Shri Rahul Gandhi. Vested interests trying to sabotage the Congress campaign before elections will not succeed -- a Congress victory in Rajasthan is a foregone conclusion, he said tagging @RahulGandhi and @GovindDotasra.

Meanwhile, party worker Sushi Asopa from the Pilot camp, while speaking to IANS, said, "Sachin Pilot is now CWC member which is the highest decision-making body in Congress. Maybe his camp and he is not so happy with Pilot being the CWC member and so comes this comment.

"In fact Gehlot too was given a chance to become high command (by offering a president role of Congress) however he did not accept,” said Asopa.

He further said, “It’s one-man army as of now in Rajasthan and Gehlot is a king so he is playing from the front foot without considering high command it seems; if victory, it will be his gain, and if party loses, it will be his loss," he added.

Meanwhile a Gehlot camp worker from CMO said, “This statement should not be blown up unnecessarily as it simply says that Pilot himself is a CWC member. So why should we decide on his tickets as CWC and AICC are decision making bodies in Congress.”

All eyes are on Pilot to counteract. Whether he comments or keeps doing what he has been doing for the last many months… drawing big crowds in his gathering and showing his strength yet being silent.