Rajasthan jitter crops up again even before Rahul's Yatra ends

In a recent video that has gone viral, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is seen describing his arch rival in the party Sachin Pilot as "Coronavirus", re-escalating the war between the two camps.

New Delhi, Jan 21: As Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra nearing its end, the signs of trouble in Rajasthan Congress is out in the open again after a video surfaced online in which Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is purportedly saying that a "big corona" entered the party after the pandemic, with an obvious reference to his bete noire Sachin Pilot.

Pilot has responded to Gehlot's remarks, saying it was important to maintain restraint in politics. "When polls come, we oppose each other. It should be done on the basis of issues. Topics I spoke on in the last 5 days were based on issues of farmers and youth. There were no personal attacks on anyone. Easy to indulge in personal attacks and speak foul language," an agency reported quoting Pilot as saying.

The video is of a pre-budget meeting Gehlot had with the representatives of employees' union on Wednesday. Responding to one of the participants during the meeting, Gehlot, without naming anyone, said, "I have started meeting... earlier corona came... a big corona also entered our party." He said that despite byelections or Rajya Sabha polls, the government has brought excellent schemes with the support of employees.

Gehlot's comment is being seen as a counter to Pilot's repeated attack on his government. In his daily public meetings since Monday in different districts, Pilot has been targeting the State government over the issues of paper leaks, sidelining party workers and political appointments to retired bureaucrats.

Taking on Gehlot for the comment, Pilot loyalist and party MLA Ved Prakash Solanki said, "If corona has crept in, a vaccination is needed. If the right vaccine doesn't come at the right time, results would be lethal for the entire Rajasthan Congress."

The trouble in Rajasthan Congress came out in the open in 2020 when Pilot staged a rebellion with 18 Congress MLAs staying away from the party's Legislative Party meetings, defying the Chief Minister and the party whips. The issue was solved after Rahul Gandhi's intervention.

In November 2022, it was the turn of the Gehlot supporters to strike back. They refused to attend the CLP meeting after the central leadership asked him to resign from the post of Chief Minister to contest the party president's post. The unexpected turn of events in Rajasthan Congress caused huge embarrassment to the party at a time when Gandhi was embarking upon his ambitious nationwide Yatra.

However, Gandhi chose to continue with the Yatra over resolving the Rajasthan issue which has cropped up again even before the conclusion of his Yatra. This gave rise to suggestions that Gandhi should have first gone on a "Congress Jodo Yatra" instead of launching the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which means addressing issues within the party first to keep the party united before going on a Yatra to unite the people.