Pilot says not joining BJP; Congress tells him door still open

Rebel leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday reiterated that he was not joining the BJP as was being claimed by some leaders in Rajasthan, prompting the Congress to say that the doors of the party had not closed on him yet.

Pilot told news channels that he was still a Congressman who had worked hard to bring the party back to power in Rajasthan.

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“Some leaders in Rajasthan trying to fuel speculation that I am joining BJP but I am not doing so,” Pilot told PTI.

Congress had on Tuesday removed the dissident leader from the posts of Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and the party’s state unit president, accusing him of hobnobbing with the BJP to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government.

After Pilot’s reiteration on not joining the BJP, AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande said the Congress had not shut the doors on the rebel leader yet.

“The party’s doors have not been shut for Pilot. May god give him wisdom to realise his mistake. I pray that he comes out of the elusive trap set by the BJP,” Pande said, noting that the party had given him key responsibilities in recognition of the hard work he had put in.

“Political struggle is a continuous process that cannot be measured in a few years. Faith and patience are basic principles of life and are most essential in politics,” Pande said.

The words of counsel from the Congress leader came after the Rajasthan Assembly Secretariat issued notices to Pilot and 18 of his supporters seeking an explanation for skipping the Congress Legislature Party meetings on Sunday and Monday.

The notices were issued on the complaint filed by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi under the anti-defection law.

The rebels have been asked to respond to the notices within two days failing which the party would launch disqualification proceedings against them.