New Delhi: Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s day-long fast demanding action in alleged corruption cases related to the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state ended on Tuesday evening. The Congress leader sitting on a dharna at the martyr’s memorial in Jaipur said that the movement against corruption will continue.
Sachin Pilot paid floral tributes to the portrait of social reformer Jyotirao Phule and started the fast at 11 am. A banner was put up at the Pilot’s agitation site which read – “Vasundhara Sarkar Mein Hoye Corruption Vipahi Anshan” (Fasting against corruption during the Vasundhara Raje government).
After ending his fast, Pilot said, “We had assured the people that effective action would be taken against corruption by the previous BJP government in the state. I wanted the Congress government to take action against the corruption done by the previous BJP government.” ”
They began their fast despite warnings from All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who said on Monday evening Any such protest against the state government would amount to anti-party activity And go against the interest of the party.
https://t.co/40BYHAzGt8– Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) April 11, 2023
Pilot had announced to sit on hunger strike on Sunday. During a press conference, he hit out at the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan for not taking action against the alleged corruption of the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the state.
Pilot said, “No action was taken (by the Gehlot government) on the corruption of the previous Vasundhara Raje government. While in the opposition, we had promised to investigate the Rs 45,000-crore mining scam.”
The senior Congress leader said he had written to Gehlot on the issue on March 28 and November 2 last year but received no response to his letters.
He also showed videos of Gehlot’s statements in the assembly and outside in which he accused the previous BJP government of corruption.
He said, “There are six-seven months left for the elections, so the opponents can spread the illusion that there is some collusion. That’s why action will have to be taken soon so that the Congress workers feel that there is no difference between our words and actions.” said the pilot.
#Watch , Rajasthan: I will go on a one day hunger strike on 11th April that action should be taken against corruption in the state so that the public does not feel that we are not doing any work or that we have not completed any work. Our promises: Sachin Pilot, Congress MLA pic.twitter.com/SNmwTDDLdJq
– ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) April 9, 2023
His agitation amid factionalism in the Congress is now being seen as an attempt to mount pressure on the party high command to resolve the leadership issue in the state ahead of the assembly polls due by the end of the year.
Pilot and Gehlot have been at loggerheads since the formation of the Congress government in the state in 2018. The Congress high command appointed Gehlot to the top post for the third time and Pilot was made deputy.
In July 2020, Pilot and a section of Congress MLAs openly rebelled against Gehlot, demanding a change of leadership in the state. This triggered a month-long political crisis, which ended after assurances from the party high command to look into the issues raised by Pilot.
After the rebellion of Pilot and 18 other MLAs, Gehlot had used several derogatory terms for his former deputy and accused him of joining BJP leaders in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state.
In September last year, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting was called at the chief minister’s residence, in which a one-line resolution was passed authorizing the party high command to take a call on a change in the state leadership, as Gehlot Were on the run. for the post of party president.
However, the meeting could not take place as a parallel meeting was called at the residence of the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister, where several Congress MLAs offered their resignations addressed to the Speaker against any move by the party high command to make Pilot Did. New Chief Minister.