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Kharge to take call on ‘Pilot vs Gehlot’ soon? Congress leader says ‘after Karnataka’
Sachin Pilot has issued an ultimatum to the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government to agree to his demands by the month-end or face a state-wide agitation.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is keeping a close eye on the situation in the party's Rajasthan unit and will take a decision after the government formation in Karnataka, AICC state co-in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin said on Tuesday after an aggrieved Sachin Pilot threatened to launch a statewide movement if action on his demands is not taken by the month-end.
The intra-party rivalry between Pilot camp and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's camp took an uglier turn after the former held a day-long fast against the regime's alleged inaction over the corruption during the previous BJP government. He followed it up with a five-day and 125-kilometre ‘Jan Sangharsh Yatra’ from Ajmer to Jaipur that culminated on Monday.
He has demanded disbanding of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and its reconstitution, compensation for those affected by government job exam paper leak cases, and a high-level probe into charges of corruption he has levelled against the previous Vasundhara Raje government.
“Sachin (Pilot) ji is a strong pillar of the Congress. Our national president Mallikarjun Kharge is keeping a close eye on all the activities that are happening and the entire matter is in his cognisance," Nizamuddin told reporters while replying to queries at the state Congress headquarters in Jaipur.
Nizamuddin said that the matter has been "pending" and the Congress president will take a decision once he has addressed the situation in Karnataka, where the party is working on the modalities of government formation.
Asked about the demands raised by Pilot, Nizamuddin said, "These things keep happening. If there is any 'pinpoint' issue, then the government will definitely work on it".
He stressed that the Congress president has taken cognisance of the matter and only Kharge or any leader authorised by him can speak on the issue. He said it was an election year and they will take feedback on how to ensure the party's victory.
(With PTI inputs)
