Breaking his silence on the power tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi described both leaders as “assets to the party”.
Addressing a press conference near Indore — days before his Bharat Jodo Yatra, currently in Madhya Pradesh, moves to Rajasthan — Mr. Gandhi was responding to a question on Mr. Gehlot’s recent remarks calling Mr. Pilot a “traitor”. “It will not affect the yatra and both the leaders are assets to the Congress party,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Referring to a rebellion by Mr. Pilot in 2020, the Rajasthan CM had last week told the NDTV news channel that Mr. Pilot was a ‘gaddaar’ (traitor) who could not replace him as the Chief Minister. In response, his former deputy had said such “mud-slinging” would not help.
In the press conference that lasted for over half-an-hour, Mr. Gandhi took questions on a range of issues, including the possibility of his contesting from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, from where he was defeated by Union Minister Smriti Irani in 2019. The Wayanad MP said the decision to contest again from Amethi would be taken after one or one-and-a-half years and he was at present focussing on the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
On another question concerning whether those who in 2020 toppled the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, the State that his Bharat Jodo Yatra is currently passing through, could return to the fold, Mr. Gandhi said that he was of the opinion that if someone had crossed over for money, such a person should not be allowed to come back. “This is a question that should be put to the Congress president or the party’s Madhya Pradesh leadership but in my opinion, if they [the MLAs who crossed over to the BJP] were bought with money, they should not be trusted,” Mr. Gandhi said.
He ducked another question on his party failing to hold on to power despite making gains in the 2018 Assembly elections, and if the momentum created by the ongoing Yatra could make a difference this time.
“This yatra has moved beyond Congress, the party. This yatra is now echoing the voice of India and no one can predict where it finally reaches,” Mr. Gandhi said. He, however, added that the response was gradually improving in the yatra that is now in its seventh State.
‘Fighting a big power’
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on spending “thousands of crores” to malign his image, Mr. Gandhi said the personal attacks over his attire and looks during the yatra didn’t bother him.
“The problem with the BJP is that its spends thousands of crore to tarnish my image. But the amount of money it would spend on tarnishing my image, I would get the same amount of strength as truth cannot be hidden,” he said, adding, “Personal attacks come as you fight against a big power…this shows that I am on the right path. The BJP’s personal attacks on me are my guru, which have taught me the right path.”
“I am gradually understanding the ideology of the BJP and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh),” he said.
Mr. Gandhi also sidestepped questions on clarifying his position on the Uniform Civil Code and reservation for Economically Weaker Sections.
He added that he had made a detailed plan for the yatra earlier but it did not materialise due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons.
