Sachin Pilot warns of agitation if action not taken on his demands by month-end

In indications that he is willing to walk the talk on his fight for leadership in Rajasthan, dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday warned his bete noir and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to face a state-wide agitation if his demands are not met.

His announcement came at a public meeting in Jaipur marking the completion of the five-day 'Jan Sangharsh Yatra, which saw the attendance of 15 MLAs. It also came amid the leadership indicating that it would soon attend to the issue in Rajasthan soon after settling the Chief Minister question in Karnataka.

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Pilot added two more to his core demand of a high-level probe against Vasundhara Raje's alleged corruption -- disbanding the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and compensation for those affected by the cancellation of government recruitment exams after paper leaks.

Addressing the meeting, he said, "if action is not taken by this month-end on these three demands, an agitation will be launched across the state. So far, I have done ‘anshan’ and taken out a ‘yatra’. If action is not taken in the interest of the youth on these three demands, I will launch an agitation in the entire state. We will walk on foot with people in villages and hamlets, and get them justice."

“I promise that I will continue to serve the people of Rajasthan till my last breath, even if I remain on any post or not. Nothing can scare me or suppress me, I have fought for you and will continue to do so,” Pilot said.

The direct threat from Pilot to escalate the protest comes, as the central leadership appears not to rock Gehlot's boat and assessment that the former Deputy Chief Minister is building his case for a life outside Congress. Days before, Gehlot had revisited the Pilot-led 2020 rebellion and said it was because of BJP leader Vasundhara Raje that his government was saved.

The leadership has noted that Pilot did a protest programme in April and followed it up with one in May. The party is keenly watching whether he would escalate and announce his course of action on June 11, the death anniversary of his late father Rajesh Pilot. Speculation is that Pilot may launch his own party and align with AAP and Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party.

On the day he started his padayatra, Congress sent a subtle message by describing Ashok Gehlot as 'Jan Jan ke Mukhamantri' (People's Chief Minister). In April, sources said, central leadership took steps not to precipitate a crisis in the Rajasthan unit and took no action though he went ahead with his fast against the Gehlot government.

In September last year when the Congress leadership was toying with the idea of appointing Pilot as Chief Minister after making Gehlot party president, the latter had managed to thwart the move by making his supporters sabotage a meeting of Congress Legislature Party. Pilot also could not muster the support of MLAs while Gehlot displayed his political acumen and a vast majority of MLAs stood with him.