Pilot gives it back with patience, says CM Gehlot my 'father-like figure'

Jaipur, June 27 (IANS) Breaking his silence over the fresh salvos being fired at him, former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Monday termed Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as his father-like figure and said he takes his comments in a healthy spirit.

Recently Gehlot made a statement alleging that in 2020, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with Sachin Pilot tried to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan.

Thereafter, state minister Shanti Dhariwal endorsed his statement and said that what Gehlot stated was right.

Surprisingly, the statements had come after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi praised Pilot for his patience.

Pilot had kept silent amid all these verbal attacks.

However, on Monday, Sachin Pilot said that when leaders like Rahul Gandhi praised my patience, then no one should be unnecessarily upset by this statement of Gehlot.

Pilot said that rather it should be taken in the right spirit. He called Gehlot his father-like figure and reiterating the words like 'Nikamma' and 'Nakara' used for him by Gehlot in the past, he said Gehlot is experienced, elderly and I do not take his words in a bad spirit.

As Gehlot had earlier said that Pilot did not experience hardships (Ragdaai nahin hui hai), Pilot retorted that the "Congress government was formed in Rajasthan after 5 years of tough Ragdaai."

Pilot reached his constituency Tonk on Monday to lead the satyagraha on a statewide call against the Agnipath scheme of military recruitment. He said that despite our government being in power, we lost the election from Jodhpur. This was our big mistake.

Shekhawat was fielded by the BJP against Gehlot's son Vaibhav from Jodhpur in the parliamentary polls where the latter was defeated.

Pilot claimed that there will be no lapse in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Our party will defeat Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the election. In the upcoming assembly elections in the state, we will work to keep the BJP away from power, he added.

Leaving everything else aside, I am focusing on bringing back the Congress government. I don't know what people say. We are in constant discussion with the Congress high command in this matter. I have given many suggestions. The party has now started working on those suggestions. Good results will come from it, he added.