'Let Bygonnes Be Bygones': Sachin Pilot On Feud With CM Gehlot
Speaking about the tussle between him and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the former deputy chief minister said, "We have to move on, let bygones be bygones, whatever was said, we need to forget."
New Delhi: Ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan, Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said that the party has given tickets to candidates based on the winnability factor, and by and large the ticket distribution has been 'very fair'.
He said that he was "absolutely okay" with whatever decision the party has taken.
Speaking about the tussle between him and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the former deputy chief minister said, "We have to move on, let bygones be bygones, whatever was said, we need to forget."
"Leave it! Who said what… I can be responsible for what I have said or not said. We should maintain dignity in political discussions." "Whoever said all those words you mentioned, I did not respond in kind because it is not the way I am built and we now have to move on, let bygones be bygones, whatever was said, we need to forget and move forward. It is not about individuals or positions or someone's statements now. It is about the country and the party," Pilot told news agency PTI.
VIDEO | "Leave it! Who said what...I can be responsible for what I have said, not said. We should maintain dignity and discourse in political discussions. Whoever said all those words you mentioned, I did not respond in kind because it is not the way I am built and we now have to… pic.twitter.com/NwCkTJr6UD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 14, 2023
He further stated he was working in Rajasthan with the mantra of "forgive, forget and move on" as advised by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC president Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking on infighting within the party following the announcement of the Congress candidates’ lists, Pilot said it is a good thing when a political party has a problem of plenty i.e. more people wanting a ticket for the same seat.
"Ultimately, the party can give a ticket only to one individual. So after a lot of feedback, surveys, opinion of leaders, we gave tickets on winnability. It is not possible to satisfy everybody. By and large the distribution of ticket is very fair," he told PTI.
"I have always wanted more younger people to get opportunities to fight elections and a lot of younger people have been given a chance this time. Overall there are a lot more pulls and pressures and infighting after the announcement of the BJP lists," Pilot stated
VIDEO | "After a lot of surveys, opinion of leaders, we gave the (poll) ticket on winnability. It's not possible to satisfy everybody but by and large, the ticket distribution was very fare. I personally have always wanted more younger people to get opportunity to fight elections… pic.twitter.com/zUNaBe8QeS
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 14, 2023
When asked about the rebellion he led against the government led by CM Gehlot in 2020, Pilot said, "There was a time when the Rajasthan government did not have a Dalit minister, today we have four Dalit ministers, workers who struggled against five years of Vasundhara Raje government, went to jail, faced lathi charges, those people should be rewarded, not by giving power and positions but by appreciating them, involving them in decision making, they becoming stakeholders in the government of the day. So that has happened now."
The AICC at that point had made a committee to look into all the issues that were raised and "I am happy that we moved forward", Pilot said.
Speaking on whether his chances of becoming CM were hit by his 2020 rebellion, the Congress leader said, "I don't think it is a question of my chance, your chance or his chance. Right now we have to make sure the Congress party wins." "Who gets what position is not decided by an individual. The longstanding tradition in the Congress party is that you fight elections, get a mandate, once you cross the majority mark, the MLAs and the leadership in Delhi will decide who will get what responsibility. In 2018, exactly same thing happened, I was the party president when we got the majority, we passed a one-line resolution authorising the party president to decide who will lead the government and I think, this time is no different,” he told PTI.
Not just in Rajasthan, this is the case in every state that goes to polls, he added.
What happens in future no one knows but right now our priority is and should be that the Congress party gets the mandate from the voters, Pilot said.
Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot 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.
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