Even as the Congress high command is under attack from various quarters within the party since the announcement of the presidential poll process, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s rivals have started making efforts to destabilise his government yet again. The Congress faction led by the CM’s adversaries is creating an impression that after 24 September, someone from that group will replace Gehlot as chief minister. In fact, the nomination will start from 24 September for the president post, and Gehlot’s detractors believe that he will file the papers for the post, and as a result, the CM post will come to their camp.
Sources say that nothing like this is going to happen. According to sources, amid the questions being raised after the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad, the party is now considering retaining Sonia Gandhi as Congress president if Rahul Gandhi does not accept the post.
Meanwhile, there are reports of former Dy CM Sachin Pilot leading the camp of Gehlot’s rivals in Jaipur. Sources say that only seven to eight MLAs turned up when they were called for a meeting by the rival group in Jaipur recently. This practice has become a regular feature. The rival camp plants stories in the media every month in a bid to destabilise the Gehlot government. The detractors of CM keep on running this campaign due to weak central leadership and state-in-charge. In a significant development, supporters of Sachin Pilot are preparing to organize an event as a show of strength on 6 September one day ahead of his birthday, which falls on 7 September.
Now, the BJP is happy with all the goings-on in the Congress. CM Gehlot is facing problems due to his own party leaders. The rival camp has been more active ever since Gehlot’s name was speculated in the media for the party president post. The high command is itself in trouble, with several leaders questioning the poll process after Azad’s resignation.
The development at the national level has affected the politics in Haryana as well. The two bigwigs of the party are now at loggerheads in the state. There is no denying that Azad’s resignation has triggered the voice of dissent within the party, with apprehensions being expressed that the presidential election process may face some hurdles. Observers feel that if the high command had stepped in timely, the situation at the central and state levels, particularly in Rajasthan, would have improved. Unfortunately, the high command did not even warn the destabilizing forces even once in the last two years. However, the only action was that Sachin Pilot, who led the rebels over two years ago, was removed from the post of Rajasthan Congress president and has not been given any post till date.
Observers say that the Gandhi family has not yet forgotten the attempts and plans to destabilise the Gehlot government two and a half years ago. In fact, that was understandably an attempt to weaken the Gandhi family. The Gandhis have several pieces of evidence regarding the same. That is the reason why Pilot has not been given any post till date, while his juniors, Harish Choudhry and Raghu Sharma, were promoted as state in-charges. However, Pilot has managed to be in the debate and the discussion of Congress politics in Rajasthan through the media. But an internal tussle like this is damaging the prospects of the party.