Rajasthan: Gehlot And Pilot Smoke The Peace Pipe
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-11-22 05:43:22
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
It is good that the woes of the Congress party have ended, for the time being, in Rajasthan. The continued wrangling between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot was taking a huge toll on the party and its workers. But now, with a calibrated cabinet expansion which increases the team to its full strength of 30 ministers, Ashok Gehlot, obviously in consultation with the high command which interacted separately with Pilot, has tried to bury the hatchet.
As of now, Sachin Pilot appears to be fully satisfied. He has thanked the high command, chief minister Gehlot, Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra for taking an "accurate" call. With most of his prominent loyalists getting a place in the cabinet, Pilot said that this was a "comprehensive, accurate and well-thought-out reshuffle" that has increased the representation of Dalits and Scheduled Tribes.
But in terms of other gains for Pilot, not much is visible. Obviously he will now once again enter the charmed circle of decision-makers close to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Varda, but the party has not announced any key post for him now. Since Pilot is a seasoned politician, a deal must have been struck and the details will emerge at the right time.
With the BJP taking a beating all over India and with the farm agitation further causing a dent in the party's popularity it was no longer a viable option for Pilot and his supporters. They realized that their political future would be better secured if they remained with the Congress and negotiated with the party to accept their demands. With most of the demands now met, Pilot is likely to put his aspirations to be the chief minister on the back-burner for now and has said he will fulfill whatever responsibility the party gives him in future, like he has always done in the past.
