“Inflation Only Focus”: Ashok Gehlot Sidesteps Questions On Sachin Pilot

Jaipur:

Sidestepping every question on his bitter rival Sachin Pilot and his protest against the Rajasthan government, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today said he is focusing on providing people relief from inflation and won’t be distracted.

“Our aim is to ease inflation. This is our only focus and we are not going to deviate from it,” Mr Gehlot said in reply to a question on a dharna by Mr Pilot, his former deputy, yesterday.

Speaking to the media at his home, Mr Gehlot dismissed allegations of inaction in corruption cases. He said the Rajasthan ACB has raided several corrupt officers, something which has not happened in any other place in the country.

“Rajasthan has the best record of acting against corruption. We have even acted against IAS and IPS officers. If I act on every complaint of ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau), people who think negatively will say corruption is widespread in the state,” the Chief Minister told the media a day after Mr Pilot’s fast against corruption.

In a development that has opened up faultlines within the state Congress months ahead of Assembly polls, Mr Pilot held a daylong fast, demanding that the Congress government act against alleged corruption in the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.

The Congress leader’s fast defied the party high command, which has termed it “anti-party” and said such issues should be discussed on party forums and not in public.

At the end of the dharna, Mr Pilot said the Congress and other Opposition parties had united against corruption and his fast will only speed up this “movement”. He added that he had written to Mr Gehlot twice on this subject, but received no reply.

“We had assured people that effective action will be taken against corruption by the former BJP government. I wanted the Congress government to take action but it has not happened in over four years,” he said. At his dharna, the symbol of the Congress and pictures of its leaders were conspicuously missing.

Earlier, Mr Pilot had said that the government needs to crack down against corruption immediately. “With six to seven months left for the elections, the opponents can spread an illusion that there is some collusion. Therefore, action will have to be taken soon so that the Congress workers feel that there is no difference between our words and actions,” he had said.

“We cannot go into the elections with these promises unfulfilled. We have evidence. We should have acted. We should investigate. We are going into elections. The Model Code of Conduct will come into effect soon. We are answerable to the people,” Mr Pilot had said.

Mr Pilot’s move is the latest in the power tussle between him and Mr Gehlot. The political tug-of-war threatened to topple the Congress government in 2020 when Mr Pilot, then Deputy Chief Minister, moved to a resort near Delhi with 20 other MLAs. He claimed that he had been promised the Chief Minister’s job for the latter half of the five-year term and demanded that the word be kept.

The protest, however, fizzled out as he did not have the support to bring down the government. He was thereafter removed as Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief.

Mr Gehlot has lashed out at Mr Pilot from time to time, calling him “traitor” and “nikamma (worthless)”.