'Baseless': Sachin Pilot's reply to Ashok Gehlot's 'Traitor' remark as rift in Rajasthan Congress widens

With the assembly elections lined up in the state next year and Rahul Gandhi led- Bharat Jodo Yatra arriving next month, the internal rift in the Rajasthan Congress can hurt the Congress party.

New Delhi: Hours after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's 'traitor' remark, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday termed his comments as "baseless". Talking to the news agency ANI, former Deputy Rajasthan CM said, "Ashok Gehlot is a senior and experienced leader, I don`t know who is advising him to level false, baseless allegations against me. Today it is required to strengthen the party." With the assembly elections lined up in the state next year and Rahul Gandhi led- Bharat Jodo Yatra arriving next month, the internal rift in the Rajasthan Congress can hurt the party. Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra is set to enter Rajasthan in the first week of December for 17 days after wrapping up its Madhya Pradesh leg. Earlier on Thursday, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot had called state Congress leader Sachin Pilot a "traitor" and said that he can never become the Chief Minister of the state. 

Taking a dig at CM Gehlot`s statement, Pilot said that BJP was badly defeated in Rajasthan when he was the state party chief. "BJP was badly defeated in Rajasthan when I was the state party president. Still, the Congress president gave him another chance to Gehlot to become CM. Today the priority should be on how we can again win the Rajasthan election," he said. 

Congress leader Sachin Pilot called the accusations unjustified at a time when the party needs to stand together against the BJP and support Bharat Jodo Yatra to make it successful. "Rahul Gandhi is on Bharat Jodo Yatra and we all need to jointly make the yatra successful. The only party that can challenge BJP is Congress. We need to challenge BJP in all ruling states," said Pilot. 

Delhi | Ashok Gehlot is a senior & experienced leader, I don't know who is advising him to put false, baseless allegations againt me. Today it is required to strengthen the party: Congress leader Sachin Pilot pic.twitter.com/z2R8pzSo6o

— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2022

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh also condemned CM Gehlot`s remark and said that the differences should be resolved in a manner that strengthens the Congress. "Ashok Gehlot is a senior and experienced political leader. Whatever differences he has expressed with his younger colleague Sachin Pilot will be resolved in a manner that strengthens the Congress," said Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh.

(With agency inputs)