New Delhi: Amid fresh war of words between the Congress' top leaders in Rajasthan -- Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, the party's Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that factionalism exists in every political party, leaders come together when it comes to pursuing a common and collective cause, as reported by the news agency ANI.
Speaking at a session during the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival on Saturday, Tharoor said, "Are there any monolithic parties in India? Is there only one opinion inside BJP on every subject and every person? In a democracy, two people can have differences of opinion, but if you share the same ideology and are fighting for the same cause, then what the party says goes," as quoted by ANI.
The fresh rift between Gehlot and Pilot, who had a public falling out till the high command brokered a truce last year, has brought back fears of disunity in the Rajasthan Congress during the election year.
On being asked whether factionalism will affect the party's electoral prospects where it is in power Tharoor said, "This factionalism and infighting is the reality of every party. Small factions happen between leaders but the larger point is all of us are against the BJP. These are very small things in comparison with the larger issues at stake," ANI quoted.
In a clear hint that the tenuous truce with his former deputy may not last long, the Rajasthan CM was purportedly heard saying in a recent viral video clip that a "big Corona" has entered the Congress after the pandemic, as reported by ANI. While Gehlot did not take any name, the remark was widely reported as being directed at Pilot.
The video was from a January 18 interaction that the Rajasthan CM had with representatives of organisations for government employees at the Secretariat. Responding to the CM's remark, Pilot, on Friday, said leaders should oppose each other on issues and ideologies and not resort to personal attacks. The former Union minister said leaders should never use words for opponents that they cannot hear for themselves.
On the two senior Congress leaders in Rajasthan having a go at each other, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram advised his colleagues to be careful with their words.
To a question on whether a leader should use such words against a party colleague, Tharoor said, "We should weigh the words carefully before directing them at our party colleagues. I am proud of the fact that in my 14-year political career, I have never used such words for anyone. Once or twice I said that I prefer not to wrestle in the mud.”
So it is my request to my colleagues that it is not good to say such things about our brothers and sisters. They can certainly find ways of saying it and can say a lot more privately," he added.
Gehlot-Pilot Rift For Rajasthan CM Post
The Congress-ruled Rajasthan stared at a fresh 'political crisis' last year, with Gehlot and Pilot locked in a tussle for chief ministership of the state.
A bid by the high-command to make Gehlot the frontrunner for the Congress' presidential polls last year and install Pilot as the new Rajasthan CM backfired as over 80 MLAs loyal to the former tendered their resignations from the Assembly. However, Gehlot later pulled out of the polls to elect the new Congress president and held on as CM. Rajasthan is scheduled to go to polls towards the close of this year.