The Rajasthan Congress’ plan to project a united front at the sankalp rally in Jaipur on Friday has come to a naught as many leaders giving rally a miss.
Union ministers C P Joshi, Jitendra Singh and Sachin Pilot were conspicuous by their absence.
Their absence is being interpreted as the deepening schism within the party. Interestingly all these leaders are anti-Gehlot and close to Rahul Gandhi.
CM under attack
It may be noted that the Congress faction loyal to union minister C P Joshi had attacked chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his administration at a recent meeting of the party for not pursuing the corruption charges levelled against the former chief minister Vasundhara Raje vigorously even though this was a major poll plank of the Congress in the last Assembly elections.
Refused to sit on dias
Although former union minister and MP Sis Ram Ola came to the rally but preferred not to sit on the dais.
Though his name was repeatedly announced to take his seat on the dais, he sat with other Congress leaders in the audience.
Similarly, former PCC president and currently chairman of the kisan commission found a seat on the dais but he was not allowed to address the meeting. Jat leaders Narayan Singh and Sis Ram Ola are not in good terms with the chief minister.
Not on his free will
Narayan Singh has publicly stated that the chief minister made him the chairman of
the kisan commission under pressure and not on his free will.
A Congress leader said with the Assembly elections not far away, the Joshi faction is exerting pressure to extract its share of seats.
Joshi doesn’t want his faction being sidelined like in the case of political appointments.
Congress state unit president Dr Chandraban’s recent comment that the Congress high command would decide the next chief minister and that there is no need for competition is also being interpreted as a veiled warning to the Joshi faction.