Given the account of the long-standing feud between Gehlot and Pilot, the fresh political crisis that has erupted in Rajasthan is not surprising.
India
oi-Deepika S
The
simmering
feud
between
Rajasthan
Chief
Minister
Ashok
Gehlot
and
his
in-house
challenger
Sachin
Pilot
is
deepening
in
an
election
year.
The
latest
flashpoint,
Sachin
Pilot
has
written
a
letter
to
Gehlot
calling
on
him
to
give
a
sympathetic
ear
to
the
demands
of
the
widows
of
soldiers
who
lost
their
lives
in
the
2019
Pulwama
terror
attack.
While
Gehlot
in
a
detailed
statement
explained
why
meeting
the
demand
of
the
martyrs’ family
would
set
a
bad
precedent
and
take
away
the
priority
which
should
be
reserved
for
the
immediate
family
of
martyrs.
The
worry
However,
the
worry
for
the
Congress
is
that
the
dharna
has
been
taking
place
also
outside
the
Jaipur
residence
of
Pilot
and
neither
the
CM
nor
anyone
from
the
CMO
has
met
the
family.
Sachin
Pilot
met
the
martyr’s
family,
but
when
he
speaks
for
the
widows,
is
he
also
speaking
out
against
the
Gehlot
government?
In
an
apparent
attack
on
the
Ashok
Gehlot-led
government
in
Rajasthan
over
the
protest
by
the
widows
of
soldiers
killed
in
the
2019
Pulwama
terror
attack,
Sachin
Pilot
Friday
said
the
issue
should
be
heard
out
keeping
ego
aside.
His
strong
response
comes
after
Rajasthan
police
removed
the
widows
from
the
protest
site
outside
Congress
leader
Sachin
Pilot’s
house
here
and
shifted
them
to
hospitals
near
their
respective
residential
areas.
“Giving
or
not
giving
one,
two
or
three
jobs
to
someone
would
not
make
much
of
a
difference.
But
if
the
issue
is
sensitive,
it
should
be
handled
in
the
same
manner,”
Pilot
said.
“Even
if
we
don’t
want
to
give
what
they
are
asking
for,
we
should
at
least
meet
them
and
make
them
understand
patiently
and
compassionately.
I
don’t
think
the
issue
should
be
politicized
because
the
country
doesn’t
belong
to
any
one
party
and
our
soldiers
don’t
fight
for
any
particular
community.
They
are
fighting
to
protect
the
entire
country.
The
issue
could
have
been
dealt
with
better,”
he
added.
The
widows
of
the
Pulwama
heroes
have
been
protesting
since
February
28
and
are
on
an
indefinite
hunger
strike
for
the
last
few
days.
Given
the
account
of
the
long-standing
feud
between
Gehlot
and
Pilot,
the
fresh
political
crisis
that
has
erupted
in
Rajasthan
is
not
surprising.
Congress
rout
in
2013
The
Gehlot
vs
Pilot
war
dates
back
to
2013
when
the
Congress
was
at
its
lowest
ebb
in
Rajasthan
winning
just
21
of
200
seats
in
Assembly
polls.
Pilot,
a
young
Congress
leader
was
given
the
task
of
reviving
the
grand
old
party’s
fortunes
in
Rajasthan.
Pilot,
who
is
said
to
be
close
to
Rahul
Gandhi,
took
the
lead
while
Gehlot
was
inducted
into
a
screening
committee
for
Punjab
polls
in
2016
and
was
made
a
general
secretary
in
Delhi
in
2017.
2018
crisis
In
2018,
Gehlot
and
Pilot
were
at
loggerheads
for
the
chief
minister’s
post
soon
after
the
Congress
won
the
Assembly
elections
as
the
high
command
then
chose
Gehlot
as
the
chief
minister
overlooking
Pilot’s
efforts.
Sachin
Pilot
staged
a
rebellion
with
18
Congress
MLAs
staying
away
from
legislative
party
meetings,
defying
the
chief
minister
and
the
party.
Pilot
speaks
against
Gehlot
The
feud
between
the
top
two
leaders
in
Rajasthan
became
wide
open
in
2019
with
Sachin
Pilot
going
into
public
to
criticise
the
law
and
order
situation
in
the
state
by
saying
the
government
needs
to
work
“more
seriously”
on
law
and
order
in
the
state.
Pilot
alleged
that
the
situation
in
his
state
had
“deteriorated”
and
that
the
government
needed
to
do
more.
This
was
seen
as
a
direct
attack
on
his
Gehlot,
who
held
the
home
portfolio
and
caused
quite
a
bit
of
embarrassment
for
the
government.
Later
in
January
2020,
criticising
his
own
government
over
the
deaths
of
107
children
in
Kota’s
state-run
JK
Lon
Hospital,
Sachin
Pilot
said
their
response
to
the
infant
deaths
could
have
been
more
sensitive.
Pilot
said
it
was
not
a
small
incident
and
also
stressed
that
accountability
for
the
entire
episode
should
be
fixed.
2020
crisis
Ashok
Gehlot
alleged
that
Pilot
has
been
planning
a
political
coup
with
BJP
since
the
formation
of
the
government
in
2019.
Rajasthan
police
issued
notices
to
Pilot
to
record
his
statement
in
connection
with
the
alleged
attempts
to
“topple”
the
Congress
government.
This
became
another
flash-point
with
where
Pilot
showed
first
signs
of
rebellion.
Pilot,
skipped
two
crucial
meetings
called
by
CM
Gehlot
and
stayed
put
at
a
hotel
in
Manesar
along
with
18
MLAs
in
his
camp
amid
reports
that
he
is
in
talks
with
the
BJP.
Later,
the
Congress
sacked
Sachin
Pilot
as
the
Rajasthan
Deputy
Chief
Minister
and
the
state
party
chief,
and
two
Rajasthan
ministers,
who
had
joined
the
Pilot
camp,
were
dropped
from
the
cabinet.
Ashok
Gehlot’s
‘gaddar’
(traitor)
remark
against
fellow
Congress
leader
Sachin
Pilot
sparked
a
row,
last
year.
Though
Congress
managed
to
find
a
solution
to
the
2020
rebellion,
the
infighting
between
the
Sachin
Pilot
and
Gehlot
camp
remains
a
problem
for
Ashok
Gehlot
time
and
again.