Indian Congress leader Sachin Pilot has accused his rival, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, of corruption, alleging that the Gehlot government has not acted against the alleged corruption of the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje. Pilot demanded action against excise mafia, illegal mining, land encroachment, and the Lalit Modi affidavit case. Pilot played old videos of Gehlot accusing Raje of corruption and misrule and asked why he had not initiated any investigation or inquiry into these matters. The feud between Pilot and Gehlot emerged following the 2018 elections in Rajasthan, when the Congress won the state. It is believed that Mr Pilot was reportedly told by the Gandhis that he would time-share the Chief Minister’s job with Mr Gehlot, as his senior, getting the first half of the five-year term.
However, that never came to pass. Last year, there were reports that Sonia Gandhi had urged Ashok Gehlot to replace her as Congress President, and Mr. Gehlot had suggested a dual role of being Chief Minister and Congress President. However, Rahul Gandhi had cited the party’s ‘one person, one post’ rule and publicly reproached Mr. Gehlot for his suggestion. After this, Mr. Gehlot met with Sonia Gandhi to apologize for the actions of his loyalists. Sonia Gandhi met with Mr Gehlot a few days later – the delayed meeting was intended to convey the displeasure of the “high command” – and he apologised profusely for the actions of his loyalists. Mr. Gehlot’s suggestion of holding both positions of Chief Minister and Congress President was not well-received within the party, as it went against the party’s ‘one person, one post’ rule. Rahul Gandhi publicly reproached Mr. Gehlot for this suggestion. A few days later, Sonia Gandhi met with Mr. Gehlot, and he apologized for the actions of his loyalists, which suggests that there may have been some controversy or conflict within the party surrounding this issue.