All eyes on Pilot as Rajasthan Congress hopeful of 'positive solution'

The Congress on Saturday exuded confidence a "positive solution" would be found to the intra-party discord in Rajasthan, even as all eyes remained set on dissident leader Sachin Pilot's next move and if he floats a new outfit at an event to commemorate his father Rajesh Pilot's the death anniversary.

Pilot will pay homage to his father at a programme at Dausa on Sunday, amid speculations he may make some significant announcement there on his political future.

The Congress has already rubbished reports Pilot will float a new party. It has said he will unitedly contest the next Rajasthan assembly elections.

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Asked about the developments in Rajasthan, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "Our party president and we surely feel there will be a positive solution to this issue."

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal on Friday dismissed as rumours reports that Pilot may announce his own party on his father Rajesh Pilot's death anniversary and asserted the Congress will contest Rajasthan's assembly polls unitedly.

"I don't believe in rumours. The reality is that the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi discussed with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot and after that, we said that we will go together. That is the position of the Congress party," Venugopal had told PTI.

"In my knowledge, there is no such thing," he said when asked specifically about reports of Pilot floating a new party.

Venugopal said he has been meeting Pilot and has been in touch with Pilot recently.

He also told the media to be optimistic and not believe in such rumours.

"Who told you he is going out of the party? These are imaginary... rumours. Don't believe these rumours. Be optimistic. Don't worry, we will fight unitedly. The Rajasthan Congress will fight unitedly," he also said.

The remarks come amid intense speculation that Pilot may announce his own party or his future plans at the programme on Sunday to pay tributes to his father on his death anniversary in Dausa, an event which has been an annual feature for the last over two decades.

The Congress last week had said the party is supreme and will fight the Rajasthan Assembly polls unitedly to emerge victorious, an assertion that came after Pilot refused to budge from his demands.

In a bid to defuse the tensions, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had held marathon discussions with Gehlot and Pilot separately last week, sources had said. They had later posed for photographs at Kharge's 10 Rajaji Marg residence here.

After the meetings, the party said Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming assembly elections unitedly and have left all issues to be resolved by the party's high command.

Addressing reporters after the meeting earlier this week, Venugopal had said, "Both the leaders, Ashok ji and Sachin ji, agreed to the proposal on these things."

Asked what proposal he was talking out, Venugopal had said, "Both have left it to the (party) high command."

Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party's state unit president and deputy chief minister.

Last year, an attempt by the high command to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan had failed after Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place.

Pilot had last month defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Gehlot over his "inaction" on alleged corruption during the previous Raje government.