'Politics Of Jumlas Has Limits': Sachin Pilot Says Congress Could Repeat 2004 Success In LS Polls

Congress leader Sachin Pilot has affirmed his full support for Gehlot's son, Vaibhav, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Jalore.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot during a press conference, at AICC headquarters, in New Delhi. ( Image Source :PTI )

Congress leader Sachin Pilot has affirmed his "100 per cent" support for Gehlot's son, Vaibhav, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Jalore. He expressed optimism about a scenario akin to the 2004 elections when the Congress emerged victorious despite the NDA's India Shining campaign.

"A repeat of 2004 is very much possible given the circumstances, given the unrest among most people. What you don’t see in the media is the real sentiment on the ground. This politics of jumlas and overconfidence (by the BJP) has its limits," Pilot remarked earlier this week, PTI quoted saying.

When queried about reconciling with Ashok Gehlot despite past disagreements, including Gehlot's derogatory remarks in 2020, Pilot responded, "I saw no advantage in replying in the same coin, I refused to be provoked, chose dignity and grace over name-calling and, more importantly, decided to show a large heart and move on." He asserted that this was better for himself, better for his state, and better for the party.

“I can look back and say with pride, that I never used any words that are unbecoming of a public figure, I have never used language that is derogatory because the value system ingrained in me since childhood has taught me to show respect to elders no matter what the circumstances and I always maintained that," Pilot expressed.

Pilot recalled his meeting with former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi last year.

“I was asked to forgive and forget and move on, which is exactly what I have done, that was the need of the hour for the party and the state." "I will 100 per cent go (to campaign for Vaibhav Gehlot)," Pilot responded to a question. "Last time (in 2019 polls) when I was the Rajasthan Congress president, I pushed for his (Vaibhav Gehlot’s) ticket to get finalised from Delhi, I went for his nomination. He could not win the polls that time but I had campaigned for him. This time he is fighting from another seat, Jalore. I will definitely campaign for him this time also," Pilot said, PTI reported.

Pilot explained that the CEC (central election committee) decided not to field state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra, considering everyone's role in the elections. "The final decision on candidate selection is with the CEC. The party took that decision. I have got responsibility for the state in Chhattisgarh... In an election campaign, the leadership allocates different responsibilities to various leaders," he outlined.

Best Candidates Of Congress In Chhattisgarh And Rajasthan

Pilot claimed that Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan had fielded the strongest candidates who could win.

"The party decides what role people have to play. The AICC decided that these are the best candidates. I am responsible for all our candidates. In the media sometimes it appears that he or she is of this faction or that faction, that is not the case at all. Every Congress candidate is our candidate, we have to work in a dedicated manner to ensure they win," Pilot stated.

He said that the challenge remains before the Congress as it couldn't open its account in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections or in the elections held in Rajasthan before that.

According to feedback Pilot has received, the people in Rajasthan are "fed up and want a change," so he believes the Congress will perform "exceedingly well" this time around. "People don’t voice their opinion very freely these days but on voting day, they will vote for the Congress," he said.

The "agrarian crisis" and the lack of jobs, along with the "brazen manner" in which the government has frequently acted to subvert norms and cross lines, are major factors in the polls, according to the general secretary of Congress.

When asked about claims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being "unstoppable", Pilot stated that nobody is "unstoppable" and again cited the 2004 example. "In 2004, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ran the campaign on India Shining, and at that time we did not declare PM face, etc. We have not done that this time also as the idea is to have two options in front of the people – INDIA or NDA. The I.N.D.I.A bloc has decided that we will decide on who will get what post and position after securing the people's mandate in the elections," he said.

Lok Sabha Polls Are 'Open Election' And 'Anything Can Happen': Pilot

Pilot underlines that the current Lok Sabha polls are an "open election" and "anything can happen”. "I am confident the I.N.D.I.A bloc partners will get the required numbers to form a government," he asserted, PTI quoted saying.

When asked how it affects young politicians like him and if the Congress was like a company where one could become CEO but never the owner, Pilot replied that if leaders did not feel like equal stakeholders in the organization, they would not give it their all and work so hard.

In responding to the several young leaders quitting the party, he said, "You will have to ask them for the reasons why they left the party. Some people leave because of compulsion, some due to pressure or allurements, everyone has a different reason for why they choose to change ideology and move to a different path." Pilot stated that people who decide to leave the party should explain their decision.

He also said that time and the votes will tell whether their choice was the right one or not.

"I enjoy the job that I do. In Congress, it is a misnomer to say that there is a glass ceiling, there are no limits to what can be achieved in a political party like ours…in the organisation as long as you are honest in the job that you are given and deliver the desired result, I think there are no heights that can’t be scaled," Pilot asserted.