Pilot standoff & Rajasthan MLAs hiding in resort 'in nation's interest', claims CM Gehlot

Days after Sachin Pilot returned to the Congress fold, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has now issued a statement saying that the infighting within the Congress party in the last one month was in the 'interest of the country.'

Gehlot remarked that under the leadership of interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress was striving towards 'saving the democracy', a part of which was the intransigence within the party which was also in the larger interest of the people. 

"The fight of Congress is to save democracy under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, whatever intransigence has happened in the Congress party in the last one month, it is in the interest of the country, in the interest of the state, in the interest of the people. And in the interest of democracy," said Gehlot in a tweet roughly translated from Hindi.

Ashok Gehlot also added that it was important to 'save democracy' and focus on the 'conspiracy' to topple the elected governments across the country alleging that the ED, Income Tax and the Judiciary were being misused to 'undermine democracy'.

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Read: Ashok Gehlot Confident Of Opposition's Support In Assembly Session; Silent On Trust Vote

Congress achieves breakthrough

Sachin Pilot’s departure to Delhi with some of his supporting legislators on July 11 set off alarm bells in the Congress camp. The rift between CM Ashok Gehlot and him widened after the legislators belonging to his camp skipped two Legislative Party meetings. Despite Pilot's insistence that he will not join BJP, the Congress party sacked him as the Deputy CM and the PCC chief.

The efforts to ensure the stability of the Congress government bore fruit on Monday when Pilot met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the national capital. In an official statement, Congress revealed that the ex-Rajasthan Deputy CM expressed his grievances in detail and held a frank, open, and conclusive discussion. Furthermore, he committed to working in the interest of the Congress party. A three-member committee was constituted to address the issues raised by the Pilot camp MLAs and reach an appropriate resolution. 

Read: BJP Wants To Dislodge Uddhav Govt By September After Failing In Rajasthan: Shiv Sena

Read: Despite Pilot's Return To Congress Fold, CM Gehlot Unhappy With Some Rebel MLAs: Sources