Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 17: Even as the Congress leadership on Monday started the preliminary preparations for the coming state Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the former deputy chief minister and young leader Sachin Pilot was away on a “public outreach” programme.
Pilot, who is locked in power struggle with the chief minister Ashok Gehlot, had last week held a solo day’s fast to highlight the party government’s failure to inquire into the alleged cases of corrupt practices by the former Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government ignoring the party high command’s warning. The party, however, decided to adopt a cautious approach before taking any hasty disciplinary step against him not to repeat the mistake it committed in respect of Punjab where the party lost power to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
On Monday, when the party leaders decided to start one-to-one meetings with the party MLAs, Pilot was on a public outreach program on the outskirts of Jaipur. Gehlot, party in charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Govind Singh Dotasra held one-to-one meetings with MLAs.
Pilot’s Assembly seat, Tonk, was also scheduled for a one-on-one meeting but the former Deputy Chief Minister was conspicuously absent being away on his solo outreach program. Sources close to Pilot, however, said not much should be read into this as his program was planned before the party scheduled the meetings.
“I am not against any person or the Congress government here. This is against corruption which happened during Vasundhara Raje’s time,” Pilot said. “I have been talking about this for a long time. When the (Rajasthan) government was three years old, I had written to the Chief Minister asking for his intervention, that we must investigate… Now with election just months away, I don’t want people to come and say we made so much noise, but did nothing against corruption,” he said.
However, inferences are being drawn as Sachin Pilot just a week ago stepped up his attack on his own government’s “inaction” over alleged corruption during the Raje-led BJP government.
Speaking to reporters at the Congress war room, former cabinet minister Raghu Sharma also said not much should be read into Pilot’s absence as his program was scheduled earlier. Backing Pilot, he said though the state government has a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, the investigation into corruption under Raje’s governance was wanting.
But the Congress instead of bringing up BJP’s corruption, wants to focus on Ashok Gehlot’s social welfare schemes as they go into the next election, due in a few months, sources said. Pilot wasn’t discussed at all during the one-on-one meetings, which revolved around “inflation relief camps”, for which MLAs will shoulder big responsibilities.
Sources said efforts to make “inflation relief camps” a success will be considered during ticket distribution. The MLAs have been told to make welfare measures their only agenda, and not pay attention to “media noise”, sources said. They have also been told to increase their social media engagement, not just by getting more followers, but the number of posts as well.
In his solo outreach programme, Pilot’s first stop was the Parmanand Dham in Shahpura, Jaipur, where he attended a religious function and addressed crowds. Next, he visited Tiba village in Khetri Tehsil of Jhunjhunu district for the unveiling of the statue of Sheoram Gujjar, who was killed in the operation in Pulwama after the attack on a CRPF bus, when a commando operation killed the mastermind behind Pulwama. His wife Sunita Devi is yet to be given any kind of employment by the state government. She holds a BEd degree and wants a job as a teacher.
Speaking at the event, Pilot repeated that no action has been taken on the alleged corruption during the previous government, even after him writing letters and appealing to the party. “It has been a week, but there has been no action on my demands against corruption,” he said, appealing to Gehlot to act on it. He said he can’t tolerate corruption, and he hasn’t opposed any particular person. “I will continue my initiative against corruption, with respect. I oppose it politically, but with respect. I am careful about what I say,” he said.
Sachin Pilot said the state government should relax rules for families of soldiers killed in action. Referring to Sunita Devi, he said the state should have listened to the wives of the soldiers killed in Pulwama. “I am not part of the government. If we can change laws for big people, we can have sympathy for soldiers’ families. We should relax rules and give them appropriate jobs,” he said.
Inflation relief camps will be set up at 2,000 places across the state, including at government hospitals, gas agencies, bus stands, main markets, shopping malls, airports, railway stations, district collectorate offices, panchayat samiti, municipality and other government offices and public places. In rural areas, an inflation relief camp will be set up at each panchayat samiti. In urban areas, there will be a camp at the level of the municipality, two camps at the level of the municipal council, and four camps at the level of the municipal corporation.
People will be informed about the Mukhyamantri Gas Cylinder Yojana, Mukhyamantri Nishulk Bijli Yojana, Mukhyamantri Nishulk Annapurna Food Packet Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, Indira Gandhi Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojana, Social Security Pension Scheme, Palanhar Yojana, Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana and Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Durghatna Bima Yojana and other schemes in these camps and given benefits of these schemes on the spot, according to the party’s official statement.
Meanwhile, Gehlot accused the prime minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah of creating a new model in the country’s politics of toppling elected governments through “horse trading”, such as in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and Manipur.