INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday said its Rajasthan leaders have vowed unity ahead of assembly polls, even as it announced that it would not
project any leader as the chief ministerial face in keeping with tradition.General secretary K C Venugopal warned that if any member
violated party discipline, he would face strict action, advising leaders to confine their grievances or views to the party forum.The big
announcements came after a four-hour discussion between the state leadership and the central brass led by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul
Gandhi at the Akbar Road headquarters
As the meeting on election preparations came against the backdrop of the continuing tussle between CM Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the
sub-text of the announcements signalled a possible end to their confrontation.02:10Congress holds meeting on Rajasthan polls; Pilot, senior
leaders presentAccording to sources, Pilot told the gathering that he had forgotten the past and was looking ahead, as advised by Kharge in
He sought unity in the party and exuded confidence that Congress could buck the trend of revolving-door politics in the state
When asked about the CM candidate, Venugopal told reporters, "We never announce the chief ministerial candidate, but we will fight the
election together and unitedly
Earlier, there were differences, but the speciality of today's meeting is that all leaders said they will fight the elections with
unity."Though the incumbent CM ends up being the automatic choice, the announcement from the party appeared a placatory gesture to Pilot
Venugopal cited Gehlot's announcement of a legislation to revamp the Rajasthan Public Services Commission and institute a deterrent
punishment to curb paper leaks - a reference to action on Pilot's demands
As Rahul told the meeting that the party should talk about corruption of the Modi government and the previous Vasundhara Raje regime in the
state polls, it appeared an endorsement of Pilot who has sought inquiry into Raje's tenure.Given the reconciliation, the focus is now on how
Pilot is accommodated in the organisation
He was sacked as state president and deputy CM after his rebellion in mid-2020
The leadership is keen to draft him in the AICC reshuffle, but he is said to prefer the state organisation
