Congress victimising Sachin Pilot because of his father’s revolt: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the supporters during a roadshow for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Jaipur on Tuesday. Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief CP Joshi is also seen.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Raking up the history of revolt within the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the ruling party in Rajasthan was victimising former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot because of his late father Rajesh Pilot’s challenge to the party leadership 26 years ago. “Whoever speaks truth in Congress is shunted out of politics,” Mr. Modi said.

The Prime Minister addressed two public meetings at Dungarpur’s Sagwara and Bhilwara’s Jahazpur during the last phase of campaigning for the November 25 State Assembly election. He accused the Congress of punishing Mr. Pilot after giving the same treatment to his father, who died in 2000.

“Rajesh Pilot Ji had once raised his voice and challenged the Congress family for good, but this family is such that after punishing him, it is bent upon punishing his son as well with a feeling of rancour,” Mr. Modi said. He claimed that anyone who spoke anything in front of the Congress family, creating even a little inconvenience, was as good as finished.

Factionalism hurts development: PM

The Prime Minister was apparently referring to the way that the late Rajesh Pilot lost favour with the Congress leadership after he contested against Sitaram Kesri for the party president’s post in 1997. Though he lost the internal election, he later challenged Sonia Gandhi when she was set to take the baton from Mr. Kesri in 2000.

Mr. Sachin Pilot has been caught in a power tussle with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot since he was denied the top spot after the Congress formed the government in the State in 2018. Mr. Modi has been referring to it during his election campaign, alleging that factionalism in Congress had adversely affected the State’s development.

Mr. Modi said that the countdown had begun for Congress government, as the party was soft on rioters, criminals and terrorists, and its policies had taken Rajasthan to the top position in lawlessness. “With its anti-people and anti-national decisions, the Congress is posing a big threat to the rich culture of Rajasthan,” he said.

Appeasement and corruption

The Prime Minister claimed that the Congress government had given a free hand to “fanatic people” with its appeasement policy. “Mr. Gehlot, who is leading Rajasthan towards destruction, does not deserve to stay in power even for a moment,” he said.

Mr. Modi added that his guarantees, to be implemented when the BJP comes to power, far outweighed the “false promises” of Congress. “My guarantees begin from [the point] where the hope from Congress for welfare of the poor ends,” he said.

Accusing the State government of having indulged in corruption in all official works, including the recruitment of staff and implementation of schemes, Mr. Modi called upon the people to defeat the Congress in the upcoming polls in order to ensure quick implementation of the Centre’s welfare schemes.