Rajasthan internal rift may reflect in AICC reshuffle

There is speculation that former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, who rebelled against chief minister Ashok Gehlot, might be assigned a plum position in the party organisation.

For the Congress, which is busy firefighting in Punjab and Chhattisgarh, its crisis in Rajasthan is far from over. And it might reflect in the forthcoming organisational reshuffle of the All India Congress Committee.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot .

There is speculation that former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, who rebelled against chief minister Ashok Gehlot, might be assigned a plum position in the party organisation. Pilot, 43, has been a former Union minister, deputy CM and president of Rajasthan Congress.

Congress leaders claimed that going by the negotiations between Pilot and the party high command, he is expected to handle an “important” organisational responsibility and may even return to the Rajasthan government at a later stage. When contacted, Pilot said, “I am a loyal soldier of the Congress. I have not heard anything. But I will give my 100% in whatever task my party gives me.”

The biggest hurdle in a smooth resolution, according to two Congress insiders, is the pending issue of “resettlement” of MLAs loyal to Pilot who are now out of the Gehlot government. Before the resettlement happens, it might be politically difficult for Pilot to be accommodated in the top rung of the party leadership.

“Party workers, who actually fought the election, toiled on the ground and helped the Congress win the election in 2018, have not been rewarded. Pilot had raised this issue repeatedly with the high command. But so far, there is no decision,” said a senior Congress leader from Rajasthan.

The Congress, especially Ashok Gehlot, however, has not much to worry about immediately as the state government survived the threat of rebellion last year and is now in a comfortable position in the assembly. The rebellion fizzled out and Pilot lost both his deputy CM berth and the chair of the state Congress.

But for the long-term prospects of the Congress, which lost young leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindia (now the Union civil aviation minister), Himanta Biswa Sharma (now the Assam CM) and Jitin Prasada, an early resolution of the Rajasthan crisis could be helpful. In fact, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in his breakfast meeting on August 3, had reportedly told some opposition leaders, “I am trying to resolve the Rajasthan issue soon.”

But the recent political appointments in Rajasthan have further complicated the situation. The state has appointed chairpersons and members to various commissions, but a majority of these posts have gone to retired bureaucrats allegedly close to Gehlot. A close relative of former Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas and a relative of West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar have also been allegedly given appointments, but Pilot loyalists are still left out.