New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) After Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who asserted that he had never seen the tradition in the party that someone is asked by the high command about a post he wants or is offered one to pacify him, his former deputy Sachin Pilot too arrived here for a meeting.
Pilot arrived at the residence of Kharge, almost an hour and half after Gehlot arrived here for meeting with top leadership.
Former party chief Rahul Gandhi was also present in the meeting, which is said to be crucial to sort out the rumblings in the state leadership where both the leaders have targeted each other.
According to sources, the party leaders are set to decide on the crisis in the state leadership where Gehlot and Pilot have opened a front against each other.
A source said that beside working on bringing the two warring leaders together, the party leadership will also try to chalk out the strategy for the upcoming Assembly election in the desert state.
Earlier in the day, after arriving in the national capital and speaking to media at the airport here, Gehlot when asked about various formulas being speculated around him and party leader Pilot, said: “Never in my life have I seen a tradition in Congress that a leader demands something or high command asks him what post he wants.”
Rubbbishing such reports, he said that these are only the creation of the media and some leaders may be getting such stories planted.
“High Command and Congress party are so strong that such a situation will not arise that you are making an offer to pacify someone. It has never happened, it will never happen…” he added.
The meeting comes close on the heels of Pilot’s “ultimatum” that if three demands he made from the state government were not met by the end of this month then he would launch a state-wide agitation.
Pilot has also asked for a high-level inquiry into the alleged scams that took place during the tenure of the former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje government, as one of his many demands.
The Congress’ Rajasthan unit has been in a state of turmoil since July 2020, when Pilot staged a revolt seeking a leadership change in the state.
Following the revolt, Pilot, who was the Deputy Chief Minister, was removed from the post. He was also removed as the state Congress President.
Since then, there has been tensions within the state party unit and crisis deepened in September last year before the party President’s election.
–IANS
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