Rajasthan Relief: Sachin Pilot Buries Hatchet With CM Ashok Gehlot

Jaipur: The Congress high command will surely be heaving a sigh of relief after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot agreed to bury the hatchet with chief minister Ashok Gehlot ahead of state Assembly elections.

Speaking to PTI, Pilot said he was ready to “forgive and forget” his tussle with Gehlot and move forward to fight the elections together.

Pilot recently met party president Mallikarjun Kharge who told him that ‘time gone by won’t come back’ and he should move on.

“His words were as much advice as directive… We have to work unitedly and move forward in a way acceptable to the people and to party workers,” Pilot said.

“Ashok Gehlot ji is older than me, he has more experience. He has heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. When I was Rajasthan Congress president, I tried to take everyone along. I think that today he is the Chief Minister (Gehlot), so he is trying to take everyone along,” Pilot said.

“If there is a little back and forth, then it is not a big issue, because the party and the public are more important than any individual. I also understand this and he also understands it,” Pilot remarked.

After Congress won the Assembly elections in 2018, Gehlot and Pilot have been involved in a power struggle. Pilot staged a rebellion against the Gehlot government in 2020, leading to his removal from state unit presidentship and deputy chief minister.

The Congress leadership tried in vain to bridge the differences between the two. Now, it remains to be seen if Kharge’s strategy has done the trick.