Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Ajay Maken in panel to resolve Pilot-Gehlot differences

Sachin Pilot has raised issues with CM Ashok Gehlot’s functioning in the state.

Congress has announced the names of the three members of a committee tasked to resolve the issues raised by Sachin Pilot in his meeting with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra before returning to the Congress fold and ending a month long political crisis in the party’s Rajasthan unit earlier this month.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot returned to Congress fold on assurances that his issues with Ashok Gehlot will be resolved by the party. (ANI Photo)

The party has appointed party stalwart Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Ajay Maken as members of the panel. Maken has replaced Avinash Pande as the new general secretary in charge of Rajasthan.

The committee has been formed in line with assurances given to Sachin Pilot for a time bound resolution of his grievances around the functioning style of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and some other party-related issues.

Pilot and 17 other legislators supporting him had met Ahmed Patel, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal apart from Rahul Gandhi to let the party high command know of their differences with Ashok Gehlot government and seek an amicable resolution of the same.

Sachin Pilot was removed as deputy chief minister and Rajasthan Congress chief after he and his loyalists decided to skip Congress legislative party meeting called in the aftermath of allegations that some Congress MLAs were hand in glove with BJP leaders, plotting the downfall of Ashok Gehlot government.

Sachin Pilot’s camp had publicly stated that the special operation group’s decision to issue notice to Sachin Pilot under sedition charges for questioning in the alleged horse-trading case proved to be the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Sachin Pilot told Hindustan Times in an interview that he had issues with the working style, the functioning and the governance style of chief minister Ashok Gehlot and it needed altering since Rajasthan was due for assembly elections in three years time.

Pilot also said that the objective of his perceived rebellion was to bring the grassroots feedback to the leadership.