JAIPUR: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who described party leader Sachin Pilot as a traitor last week, on Tuesday said there was nothing more to say on the topic after Rahul Gandhi described the two feuding leaders as the party’s “assets”.
“Once Rahul Gandhi has said that our leaders are assets, then we are assets… what is the discussion then? This is the beauty of our party that after our top leader says anything. then there is no scope,” Gehlot told reporters when asked about Rahul Gandhi’s statement.
Gehlot added: “Rahul Gandhi also meant that every party worker is also asset.”
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Indore that he did not want to comment on the back-and-forth between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, adding that “both leaders are assets for us and I can say it won’t affect the Bharat Jodo Yatra”.
Rahul Gandhi’s brief remark came after a verbal battle again broke out between the two Rajasthan leaders last week. Gehlot told a television channel on Thursday that Pilot was a ‘gaddar’ (traitor) who cannot be made the chief minister and Pilot responded, saying Gehlot’s comments were unbecoming of a senior leader.
Pilot and Gehlot have been bitter rivals for years but things came to a head in 2020 when Sachin Pilot rebelled against Gehlot’s leadership.
Gehlot said the main issue before the party is the Rajasthan assembly election in 2023 and the Congress has an edge because of the schemes and programmes launched by his government.
“We will win the assembly elections. We have introduced several unique schemes and programmes which are benefitting people across the state. I get an overwhelming response from people when I go on visits. I mean that government is going to return to power,” he said.
The Rajasthan chief minister also backed the demand that the state’s employees be allowed to revert to the old pension scheme, adding that his government took the decision to opt-out of the new pension scheme from the social security point of view.
