After returning to the party fold, Congress leader Sachin Pilot has embarked on extensive tours across Rajasthan, starting from his Assembly constituency Tonk, in an attempt to rebuild his image.
The Congress workers extended a warm welcome to Mr. Pilot in Tonk on Wednesday, as he spoke about a better coordination within the party to resolve people’s grievances.
The AICC’s decision to appoint a three-member committee to deal with the issues in the State’s ruling party after a month-long political crisis is also expected to strengthen Mr. Pilot’s position. The 42-year-old leader, sacked as the Deputy Chief Minister, has affirmed that the future course of action would be taken on the basis of the roadmap prepared by the committee.
‘I feel humbled’
As many as 59 office-bearers of Congress party’s Tonk unit had resigned last month in protest against the removal of Mr. Pilot as the Deputy CM and Pradesh Congress president. Mr. Pilot said in Tonk that the welcome by people at various places had left him humbled, as he was not a part of the government any more.
Enthusiastic party workers greeted Mr. Pilot and garlanded him at the places such as Shivdaspura, Chaksu and Niwai on his way from Jaipur to Tonk. Mr. Pilot also went to the Circuit House, where he attended a meeting with the district officials and elected representatives to discuss the implementation of various projects and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Pilot had last visited Tonk in April this year. Faced with the challenge of dealing with the trust deficit against him, Mr. Pilot told reporters that it was for the party leadership to decide who would work in the government and in the organisation.
The former Deputy Chief Minister had met the newly appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken, who is also a member of the committee, in New Delhi earlier this week. Mr. Pilot said all communications to the party’s top leadership would be made through the AICC-constituted panel.
Tributes to Rajiv
On Thursday, Mr. Pilot visited the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters here to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gadhi on his birth anniversary. Mr. Pilot said the party should ensure involvement of everyone who had worked for it to go into not just the upcoming municipal elections but also the Assembly polls after three years.
The ruling Congress also faces the uphill task of revamping the organisational structure, as the entire State executive along with all departments and cells as well as the district and block Congress committees were dissolved after Mr. Pilot’s removal during the turmoil. While the Minister of State for Education, Govind Singh Dotasra, was appointed the PCC chief, most of the organisational posts are at present vacant.
