Jaipur: Congress leaders in Rajasthan are now indulging in dinner diplomacy every month to thrash out differences among party leaders and ensure unity ahead of the 2018 assembly polls.
On Monday, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot organised a dinner which was attended, among others, by state Congress President Sachin Pilot, state affairs incharge Gurdas Kamat, Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi, former Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadia and former Union Ministers Jitendra Singh and Girija Vyas.
The event that lasted over three hours was used by Congress leaders to put up a show of unity.
"The main aim was to resolve the intra-party differences. But whether Congress leaders were able to thrash out their differences is a million dollar question," a political analyst told IANS.
The state Congress is divided into two main groups -- one led by state unit President Sachin Pilot and the other reposing faith in the old guards like Ashok Gehlot.
"There are no differences within the party. All leaders who attended the dinner gave suggestions to strengthen the Congress in Rajasthan," Kamat said.
Sachin Pilot will host a dinner for party leaders on November 8.
The Congress suffered one of the worst defeats in Rajasthan in the 2013 assembly elections and presently has only 24 MLAs in the 200-member house.
