Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to discuss the long-pending Cabinet reshuffle, accommodating supporters of his political adversary Sachin Pilot.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Mr. Gehlot said, “The party’s top leadership will decide on the Cabinet reshuffle. Ajay Maken has all the information on it. We want good governance to continue in the State.”
On Wednesday night, Mr. Gehlot met party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken and general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The group also met Mr. Pilot earlier in the day.
Mr. Pilot sought to remind the central leadership that Assembly polls were not too far and without coordination between the party and the government, the Congress might not return to power. “Now only 22-23 months left for the Assembly elections. Rajasthan has a trend of cyclical change in the party in power. We want to break this trend and that can be done only if the party and the government were to work together,” he stated.
He also expressed the hope that the party leadership would deliver on the promises it had made. “I do hope and trust that what the party has been promising will be delivered soon and the Congress workers who helped make this government will be rewarded for their efforts,” he noted. He asserted that his fight was only to ensure that those workers who had given their sweat and blood to ensure the BJP’s defeat should be suitably rewarded. They have been ignored for far too long with the Gehlot government completing nearly three years in power, he added.
‘Give in to demands’
Sources said the Congress’s top leadership asked Mr. Gehlot to give in to the long-pending demands of Mr. Pilot by making the necessary changes in the Cabinet and restructuring the boards and corporations.
On July 12, 2020, Mr. Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs left for Manesar bringing the Gehlot government to the brink of collapse. The central leadership stepped in to save the party from a split by forming a three-member committee, including Ahmed Patel, Mr. Maken and Mr. Venugopal to look into Mr. Pilot’s grievances. After Mr. Patel’s demise, Ms. Vadra is now a part of the committee. But more than a year later, the panel has not made any headway as Mr. Pilot’s demands remain unmet.
