Congress to set up committee to address Sachin Pilot’s grievances
A AKHTER / NEW DELHI
Sachin Pilot has said that he will work in the “interest of the Congress” after meeting Rahul Gandhi at the former party chief’s residence, where Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present. The meeting lasted two hours during which they had a “frank, open and conclusive” discussion.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will set up a three-member committee to address issues that rebel party leader Sachin Pilot has raised—a development that comes after Pilot met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi to hold parleys at a time when party plunged into crisis in Rajasthan.
The party announced that Pilot had a ‘frank, open and conclusive discussion’ with Rahul Gandhi, following which Congress President Sonia Gandhi decided to constitute a committee to resolve his issues
A three-member committee of the All India Congress Committee will look into the grievances of former Rajasthan deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs. Sachin Pilot met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi on Monday and assured the two leaders that he was committed to working in the interest of the party. Pilot along with the 18 dissident Congress MLAs and three independents will return to Jaipur and will attend party meetings ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly session which is scheduled to begin from August 14.
AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal confirmed about the meeting, adding “Sachin Pilot has met with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and expressed his grievances in detail. They have had a frank, open and conclusive discussion”.
Following this meeting of Pilot with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, the Gehlot government has overcome any risk to the government as the Congress now has enough numbers to face the floor trust vote and come out victorious.
All the Congress MLAs who are staying in a Jaisalmer hotel will return to the state capital. A meeting of the Congress legislature party is likely to be held in Jaipur on Tuesday where all the 19 dissidents will join the meeting. This would bring the curtains down on the 32-day deadlock during which Ashok Gehlot dismissed the deputy Chief Minister and two Cabinet ministers Ramesh Meena and Vishvendra Singh. Pilot was also removed as Pradesh Congress President, being replaced by Govind Singh Dotasara, a minister of state in Gehlot Cabinet.
The party had suspended Vishvendra Singh and a senior MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma for their alleged involvement in horse-trading. The Special Operation Group of Rajasthan Police had found an audio clip in which the two were speaking to intermediaries.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been insisting that the dissidents were welcome to the party fold if they offer their apology. The government showed its gesture by doing away with sedition charges against Pilot and minister Vishvendra Singh and MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma. This also helped in the reconciliatory move and paved the way for the return of the dissidents. Bhanwar Lal Sharma, who arrived here from Delhi also met the Chief Minister Gehlot.
Meanwhile, rebel Congress MLAs started returning from Haryana to Jaipur. Bhanwar Lal Sharma, one of the MLAs, met Gehlot, and said there are no camps in the Congress and the party stood united. Sharma is facing a case of alleged involvment in horse trading of Congress lawmakers in a bid to topple the Gehlot government.
AICC sources said all rebel MLAs will return ahead of the August 14 assembly session, and asserted that the Gehlot government was safe.
Once all dissidents return, the Congress will have a total strength of 107 MLAs in the 200-member state Assembly where the simple majority is 101. The Congress also has the support of a number of independent MLAs. BJP has 72 MLAs.