Days after Gehlot’s barb, Pilot plays down CM’s comment

Gehlot had remarked that Pilot was hand in glove with BJP in leading a rebellion against his government

In a sign of the leadership tussle in the Rajasthan Congress making a comeback, former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Monday appeared to brush off Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s remarks that he was hand in glove with the BJP in leading a rebellion against the Gehlot government.

Mr. Pilot recalled that the Chief Minister had earlier too used words like nakaara, nikamma (useless, incompetent) for him.

“Earlier also, Ashok Gehlot ji had said things about me like nakara, nikamma. He is an experienced, senior person, a father figure so I do not take offence,” Mr. Pilot told reporters in Tonk, adding, “Right now my focus is to bring back our government in the State”.

The former Rajasthan Congress chief, who unsuccessfully led a rebellion against the Gehlot government in July 2020, also referred to a recent statement of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in which Mr. Gandhi appreciated his patience.

Last week, during a meeting of party leaders at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, Mr. Gandhi had said working in the Congress made people patient.

“When I was questioned by Enforcement Directorate officials, they asked me how do I have so much patience. I didn’t tell them but you want to know? Well, I have been working with the Congress party since 2004. If I don’t have patience then who will. Every leader of the Congress party knows this...Look at Sachin Pilot, he sitting patiently,” Mr. Gandhi had said.