We Will Strengthen Party Ideology, Take It To People Forcefully: Sachin Pilot After CWC Inclusion

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday expressed gratitude towards the party's top leadership for making him a member of the working committee and vowed to "strengthen the ideology" of the party and take it to the people more forcefully.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday reconstituted the party's top decision-making body -- the Congress Working Committee (CWC). While 39 members of the all-important panel are general members, it has 32 permanent invitees, including some in-charges of state and 13 special invitees, including presidents of the Youth Congress, the National Students' Union of India, the Mahila Congress and the Seva Dal as ex-officio members.

Pilot is among the new CWC members. "I express my gratitude towards respected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former president Rahul Gandhi for making me a member of the Congress Working Committee," Pilot said in Hindi on X. "We will strengthen the traditions, policy and ideology of the Congress and take it more forcefully to the people," the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister said.

Pilot's inclusion in the CWC comes just ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly polls later this year. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018.

Pilot had made it clear last month that he had buried the hatchet with Gehlot on the advice of party president Kharge, saying collective leadership was the "only way" forward going into the assembly polls. In 2020, Pilot had led a revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party's state unit president and deputy chief minister.

Last year, an attempt by the high command to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan failed after Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place.