Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, believed to be upset over his adversary Sachin Pilot reconciling with the Congress and making a comeback after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, evaded any response when asked how he would go back to working with someone he had called “nikamma” (useless).
Mr Gehlot focused on attacking the BJP as he spoke to reporters before taking a special flight to Jaisalmer, where he reportedly has some 100 resentful Congress MLAs to handle.
“They were with me all along. The BJP tried every trick in the book, but failed to break us. They were offered money, posts, but they did not leave. I have told these MLAs, till I am alive, I will always be their guardian and look after them,” Mr Gehlot said.
His in-house rival and sacked deputy Sachin Pilot, who dropped his rebellion after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, returns to Rajasthan today.
Sources say Chief Minister Gehlot, who, unlike the party's measured criticism, had gone all out against his sacked deputy, was not entirely on board with the truce.
In the past month, Mr Gehlot had publicly accused Mr Pilot of deal-making with the BJP to pull down his government. He also labelled the 42-year-old leader as "nikamma" (useless) and derided him as a politician who influenced the media with only looks and good English.
Asked about the truce with the rebels, he said he would “give them a warm hug if party leadership decides to forgive the rebel MLAs".
The Chief Minister is seen to have won this round in the internal rivalry.
Mr Pilot's “homecoming” was enabled by the Gandhis agreeing to address his grievances and the Congress announcing a panel of three including Priyanka Gandhi to do so.
But Mr Pilot, according to sources, is unlikely to get back the two posts that Mr Gehlot had sacked him from – Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief.
On Monday, after ending his revolt, Mr Pilot also told the media: “Ashok Gehlot is my leader.” During his meeting with the Gandhis, Mr Pilot had already retreated on his key demand – the removal of Mr Gehlot as Chief Minister.
For Mr Gehlot, the challenge now is to pacify Congress MLAs who were primed for a test of strength and a victory over Mr Pilot's rebel squad.
The MLAs, sequestered at Suryagarh hotel in the city in anticipation of a trust vote in the special assembly session on Friday, are feeling “let down and disillusioned”, say sources, and senior Congress leaders have been trying to calm them down.
On Sunday night, the MLAs said at a meeting that the rebels should be punished for their “betrayal” and should not be allowed back.
Several meetings will held till late last night as the MLAs grumbled over the Delhi developments. The Chief Minister has to pacify his upset loyalists just two days after he gave them a pep-talk, urging them to be united in order to win a trust vote.
Congress sources say when he learnt of the reconciliation moves, Mr Gehlot approached the party leadership. But he was reportedly advised to fall in line, given the Gandhis' keenness to keep Mr Pilot in the party and prevent a repeat of its disaster in Madhya Pradesh, where Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit brought down the Congress government.
