Sachin Pilot To Skip Rajasthan One-On-One With Top Leaders On State Polls

Sources close to Mr Pilot, however, said not much should be read into this as his program was planned before the party scheduled the meetings.

Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is locked in a power tussle with Chief Minister and party colleague Ashok Gehlot, is on a public outreach program today on the outskirts of Jaipur even as the Congress gets underway with preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections. Mr Gehlot, party in charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Govind Singh Dotasra are holding one-to-one meetings with MLAs.

Mr Pilot's Assembly seat, Tonk, was also scheduled for a one-on-one today, but the former Deputy Chief Minister will be conspicuously absent as he is on a solo outreach program. Sources close to Mr Pilot, however, said not much should be read into this as his program was planned before the party scheduled the meetings.

However, inferences are being drawn as Sachin Pilot just a week ago stepped up his attack on his own government's "inaction" over alleged corruption during the earlier Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government.

Speaking to reporters at the Congress war room, former cabinet minister Raghu Sharma also said that not much should be read into Mr Pilot's absence as his program was scheduled earlier. Backing Mr Pilot, he said that though the state government has a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, the investigation into corruption under Ms Raje's governance is wanting.