Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday alleged that his bid to become Congress president in 2022 was thwarted by a political conspiracy, and clarified that his supporters had not rebelled against the High Command but against the prospect of Sachin Pilot becoming Chief Minister.
Gehlot was referring to a Congress Legislature Party meeting called on September 25, 2022, to discuss the election of a new state leader in the event of Gehlot succeeding Sonia Gandhi as party president. Over 80 MLAs from his camp did not attend the meeting. Gehlot subsequently abandoned his plan to contest the party president elections and remained Chief Minister.
“I believe it was a conspiracy. Suddenly, observers — Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge — arrived, and a spectacle ensued,” he said.
He indirectly blamed the Pilot camp for creating the impression that his associates had revolted against the Congress High Command because he wanted to retain the Chief Minister’s post.
GEHLOT’S PARTY CHIEF AMBITIONS
“People across the country believe that the revolt happened because I wanted to remain Chief Minister rather than become the Congress President. How do I explain the reality to them?” he said.
Gehlot added that he would never have turned down the opportunity to lead the party, a post once held by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Motilal Nehru and Sardar Patel.
“If Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party had chosen me for that role, would I have refused?” he said.
Mallikarjun Kharge eventually became Congress president in October 2022, winning a leadership contest against Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor.
SEPTEMBER 2022 INCIDENT: GEHLOT’S VERSION
Gehlot maintained that no rebellion against the High Command took place on September 25, 2022, adding that Rajasthan Congress has had a history of loyalty to the central leadership since Indira Gandhi’s time.
He said the MLAs backing him were angered by speculation that Pilot might be installed as Chief Minister if he moved to Delhi as party president.
“The 80-odd MLAs showed loyalty to the High Command and stayed in hotels to protect the government. They were willing to accept anyone as Chief Minister except Pilot, as he was allegedly among those involved in the Manesar episode,” Gehlot claimed.
The Manesar episode refers to the July 2020 rebellion within the Rajasthan Congress, when then Deputy CM Pilot took a group of supporting MLAs to Manesar in Haryana in a bid to destabilise the Gehlot government. Pilot was subsequently removed as Deputy CM, even after he and his supporters returned to the party.
Gehlot further argued that had there been a genuine rebellion, he would not have remained Chief Minister. “Whenever the High Command decides to change a Chief Minister, around 90 per cent of MLAs move towards the new leader,” he said.
The three-time Chief Minister said he later met Gandhi, expressed regret over the sudden turn of events, and subsequently bowed out of the Congress president’s race.
ON SACHIN PILOT
Gehlot also said Pilot had failed to read the political situation correctly, as most MLAs did not rally behind him despite the speculation about a change of guard.
“Pilot has been in politics for 15 to 20 years and should have had enough experience to understand these dynamics,” he said.
He added that he has known Pilot’s family for a long time and still regards him as a younger family member, but alleged that political advisors and media narratives were fuelling misunderstandings between them.
Gehlot urged unity within the Congress, saying all leaders, including Pilot, should work together at a time he described as a period of threat to democracy across India.
– Ends
