‘Baseless allegations’: Pilot responds to Gehlot’s ‘gaddar’ jibe

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday responded to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ‘gaddar’ (traitor) jibe at him, calling it a baseless allegations.

“Ashok Gehlot called me nakara, gaddar… they are baseless allegations. There is no need for it”, Pilot said while reacting to Gehlot’s outburst in an interview to NDTV.

“BJP was poorly defeated in Rajasthan when I was the party president. Still, Congress president gave another chance to Gehlot to become CM. Today the priority should be on how we can again win Rajasthan election”, he added.

“A gaddar (traitor) cannot be chief minister… the Congress high command cannot make Sachin Pilot the chief minister… a man who doesn’t have 10 MLAs. Who revolted. He betrayed the party, (he) is a traitor,” Gehlot said in the interview.

“How can the MLAs accept such a person as the chief minister? I have proof that ₹10 crore each were distributed to the MLAs holed up in a Gurugram resort for toppling the Congress government in Rajasthan”, the veteran leader said.

After Gehlot’s explosive traitor charge at his adversary, the Congress sought to douse the tempers. “Shri Ashok Gehlot is a senior and experienced political leader. Whatever differences he has expressed with his younger colleague Shri Sachin Pilot will be resolved in a manner that strengthens the Congress Party. Right now it is the duty of each and every Congressman and Congresswoman to make the already hugely succesful Bharat Jodo Yatra even more impactful in the North Indian states”, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

The rivalry between Pilot and Gehlot has been going on since the past four years over the chief ministerial post. There have been murmurs about a possible change in leadership, but the Gehlot faction has been resisting it.