Sachin Pilot
Sachin Pilot takes aim at his own govt in solo Rajasthan campaign
Jaipur/IBNS: Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is on a solo campaign in Rajasthan ahead of polls later this year, seemed to become a fear for his party by taking aim at his own government and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Monday.
Campaigning in Nagaur, a stronghold of the Jat community and farmers, Sachin Pilot brought up the recent leak of the general knowledge exam for teachers in Rajasthan.
"Sometimes question papers are leaked, sometimes exams are cancelled...It is very painful and distressing... Children and their parents go through so much trouble for an education. The students toil day and night while preparing for their exams," said the former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister at a rally.
"I hope the government goes after the big fish instead of the small-time touts," Pilot said.
The Congress leader's mass outreach till Jan 20 has left his party worried about a fresh, unwanted spotlight on the unresolved leadership tussle between its two top leaders in Rajasthan.
Pilot, a rival of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has planned five meetings with farmers across the state.
The rallies will be held in Nagaur, Hanumangardh, Jhunjhunu and Pali between Jan 16 and 19.
Gehlot is unlikely to attend the campaign.
According to reports, Pilot decided to launch his solo campaign as a pressure tactic over the unresolved leadership tussle in Rajasthan that continues to worry Congress even after a successful Bharat Jodo Yatra season in the state.
However, the Pilot faction denied the speculations.
The outreach campaign is aimed at "keeping the party relevant and in action in an election year", media reports quoting sources close to Pilot claimed.
Pilot, who had revolted against Gehlot, is credited for Congress' turnaround in Rajasthan and eventual victory in the 2018 assembly elections.
However, the Congress top brass led by then-president Rahul Gandhi had picked Gehlot as the successor of Vasundhara Raje of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Pilot was stripped of his Deputy Chief Minister's post when he had camped outside the state in a rebellion against the top brass.
The desert state is scheduled to go to polls in late 2023.
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