How Sachin Pilot scored a self-goal?

New Delhi: Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot’s warning to the Congress that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise for chief minister Ashok Gehlot should not be taken lightly is bound to backfire.

Pilot drew a parallel between Gehlot and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who quit the grand old party after over 50 years in August this year. He later formed his own political outfit, the Democratic Azad Party (DAP), in September.

Prior to that, the Prime Minister on February 9, 2021, had showered effusive praise on Azad as he bid a tearful farewell to the Congress leader on his retirement as a member of the Rajya Sabha after the completion of his six-year term.

Calling him a true friend, Modi told Azad, who till then was also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, that he will not let him retire from public life.

It is widely believed in Jammu and Kashmir political circles that the DAP has been floated to divide the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vote to help the saffron party in the assembly elections, whenever these are held.

“We all saw how the Prime Minister praised during his visit to the Mangarh Dham. We all have seen similar things earlier in the Rajya Sabha as well when he showered praise on Azad. Everybody knows what happened after that. It is an interesting development yesterday and should not be taken lightly,” Pilot said, indicating that the simmering feud between him and Gehlot was set to escalate in the coming days.

In his speech at the ‘Mangarh Dham Ki Gaurav Gatha’ event in Rajasthan on Tuesday, the Prime Minister had said: “As the Chief Minister, Ashok ji and I have worked together for several years and Ashok ji was the senior- most among the chief ministers. He continues to be the senior-most chief minister even now. Ashok ji is also one of the senior chief ministers among those sitting on the dais. I thank him for attending this programme.”

Apart from Gehlot, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan were also present at the event.

In his speech, Gehlot also said when Modi goes abroad, he receives great honour because he is the Prime Minister of the nation of Mahatma Gandhi, where democracy is deep-rooted.

“We were slaves once upon a time and now our country has achieved great heights. Prime Minister Modi receives huge respect whenever he visits abroad. It is because he is the Prime Minister of a country of Mahatma Gandhi where the roots of democracy are strong and deep and where democracy is alive even after 70 years of independence. The world feels proud when it realises that Prime Minister Modi is coming from such a country. You can realise how this country has moved forward,” Gehlot said.

Soon after Pilot’s remarks, the Congress came out in defence of Gehlot, insisting that the chief minister did not praise the Prime Minister but showed him the mirror.

“With my own little understanding, I think that he did not praise the PM, he showed a mirror to Modi ji in the gathering. If I tell the person sitting next to me that your respect is not from you, your respect is because you come from a country which is Gandhiji's country, Nehruji's country, Ambedkarji's country, where democracy is strong, I think this would be a matter of insult. I don't know who sees respect in this," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.

Hours later, Gehlot urged Congress leaders to maintain discipline and refrain from making out-of-turn statements. “KC Venugopal (Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation) has asked not to give statements. We, too, want all leaders to maintain discipline,” he said.

Gehlot further said the party's focus should be on retaining the government in Rajasthan where elections are due in November-December next year. “It is our objective to repeat the government. We have given good governance and brought so many schemes in the state, which has never happened before. We have started working towards retaining the state on good governance,” he said.

Gehlot’s response has been mild this time compared to his blistering attacks on Pilot in the past. It could be deliberate on the part of the wily politician to project Pilot as a troublemaker and his statement as an act of indiscipline.

Pilot too appears to have scored a self-goal with his remarks by casting aspersion about Gehlot’s loyalty to the Congress party.

The recent developments in the Rajasthan Congress and the act of indiscipline by Gehlot loyalists coupled with Pilot’s silence on the issue helped the young leader in gaining sympathy from a powerful section of the party, including the Gandhi family. That has been undone now.

It will also make the task harder for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to take a call on ending the ongoing crisis in the party’s Rajasthan unit. He will now have to tread a cautious path in deciding Gehlot’s future role.

Pilot too seems to have given a fresh lease of life to Gehlot as any move to remove him at this juncture would be seen as an endorsement of the young leader’s claim about the veteran’s loyalty to the party.

That said, Pilot’s loyalty test for Gehlot could prove costly for him only. All eyes on Kharge now.