Amid Tussle With Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot Says 'You Win Trust By Giving Trust'

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's comments come a day after the Congress said that he and Sachin Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming assembly elections 'unitedly'.

New Delhi: Amid a festering leadership tussle in the Congress' Rajasthan unit, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday hoped to work together with his former deputy Sachin Pilot in an effort to resolve the political crisis in the state ahead of key Assembly elections. On being asked by reporters whether Sachin Pilot, the former Rajasthan Congress chief, will work together with him or not, Gehlot said he will work together if he is in the party.

"Today it's my duty to do the work that the high command wants which is to win the election," Ashok Gehlot said and gave a word of advice to Sachin Pilot that 'whoever shows patience, will be rewarded'.

Remembering former party chief Sonia Gandhi's statement, Gehlot said, "You win trust by giving trust. If everyone will walk together then our government will be repeated."

Congress on Monday evening said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming Rajasthan assembly elections unitedly and have left all issues to be resolved by the party's high command.

Top Congress leadership led by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held marathon discussions with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot joined them later in the evening. The Congress in-charge of state affairs Sukhjinder Randhawa was also present at the meeting.

The party sought to project that all was fine in its Rajasthan unit with sources claiming that the party has worked out a formula for both the state leaders to work together and fight the assembly elections unitedly. Addressing reporters after the meeting at Kharge's 10, Rajaji Marg, residence, party general secretary K C Venugopal said both the leaders held lengthy discussions with Kharge and Gandhi about the upcoming Rajasthan election.

"We have decided to fight the election unitedly. Both are in agreement that the Congress party has to work together and definitely, we will win the election in Rajasthan," he said, flanked by Gehlot and Pilot.

"It is very clear that Rajasthan is going to be a strong state for the Congress party. We are going to win. Therefore, both Gehlot Ji and Sachin ji have decided to go together. The Congress party will fight elections unitedly," Venugopal said.
"Both the leaders Ashok ji and Sachin ji agreed to the proposal on these things," he also said.

Asked what proposal he was talking out, Venugopal said, "Both have left it to the (party) high command. The high command will take the decision and both have agreed." On what formula has been decided, he said, "We decided that both the leaders have agreed to go together and it will be a joint fight against the BJP. We will win the state."

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh later tweeted, "The Congress party is well on its way to repeating its Karnataka success in Rajasthan as well." Later in a tweet, Venugopal said, "Our team in Rajasthan will unitedly fight the 2023 elections and break the decades-long tradition of alternating governments by registering a thumping victory!"

Pilot has been attacking the Gehlot government over the issue of inaction on alleged corruption during the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje and has been vocal against his own party's chief minister. This was the first time after a long gap that the Rajasthan chief minister and his former deputy met face-to-face in the presence of top party leadership.

Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a failed revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party's state unit president and deputy chief minister.

Pilot had last month defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Gehlot over his "inaction" on alleged corruption during earlier BJP government.