The suspense over the survival of the Congress-led Ashok Gehlot government ended on August 10 after former party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, placated renegade leader Sachin Pilot. The end of the rebellion by Pilot and 18 Congress MLAs loyal to him came exactly a month after they put the Gehlot government’s stability in question, giving the BJP hope to repeat the power grab it had effected in Madhya Pradesh with the help of Jyotiraditya Scindia in March.
Though Priyanka played the key troubleshooter in the entire saga, it was Rahul who put his seal of approval on Pilot’s turnaround. Gehlot too assured party president Sonia Gandhi that he would accept whatever decision the high command finally takes. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said Pilot and Rahul “had a frank, open and conclusive discussion” and that the rebel leader “committed to working in the interest of the Congress” and the government in Rajasthan.
For the past 30 days, as the state battled an escalating coronavirus pandemic, the Congress-led government functioned out of the CM’s residence and resorts in Jaipur and then Jaisalmer where over 100 legislators, including cabinet ministers, were staying. Pilot’s brigade, meanwhile, camped at a private resort in Manesar, near Gurgaon, under protection provided by the police force of BJP-ruled Haryana. With the Rajasthan assembly scheduled to convene on August 14, the end of Pilot’s revolt is expected to help the CM sail through the eventuality of a floor test.
Why after pushing his party’s government to a precipice and losing two plum posts–deputy CM and state Congress chief–Pilot finally gave up his rebellion is a question that will be asked on the loop over the next few weeks, if not months. While officially Pilot maintained that he never planned to join the BJP, his close aides told Outlook that the leader had been in constant touch with the BJP for nearly three months. Govind Singh Dotasra, who replaced Pilot as state Congress chief, said Gehlot “will be CM for the remainder of his term and there was no question of a change of guard midway”.
So what changed? Congress sources say there were two key reasons for Pilot returning to the party at the risk of continuing personal humiliation by Gehlot, who is unlikely to forgive him the failed trespass. “Pilot simply didn’t have the support of MLAs he claimed to have for toppling the government. Even of the 18 MLAs who went with him, seven were desperate to return while others were unsure of joining the BJP or facing bypolls. This made it difficult for the BJP to accept Pilot as it wouldn’t have helped unseat Gehlot,” says a senior Congress leader.
Rahul and Priyanka agreed that no disciplinary action will be taken against the rebels and, instead, a three-member committee will be constituted to address their grievances. Pilot was assured that his interests will be safeguarded once the AICC is revamped, possibly later this month, and that he may even get a key central role.