Sachin Pilot attacks Ashok Gehlot, says Rajasthan CM treats Vasundhara Raje as leader, not Sonia Gandhi

Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday opened the latest round of attack on Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, accusing him of batting for BJP leader Vasundhara Raje Scindia and treating her as his leader and not Sonia Gandhi. 

The remarks come days after Gehlot claimed Vasundhara Raje and two other BJP leaders had helped save his government during the 2020 revolt by his party MLAs. Gehlot also took potshots at the rebel Congress MLAs saying they should return the money they had taken from the BJP so that they can carry out their duty without any pressure.

To recall, Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs had revolted against his leadership in July 2020. The month-long crisis ended after the intervention of the party's high command. Pilot was then removed as the deputy chief minister and state Congress president.

Briefing media persons in Jaipur, Pilot announced the launch of the Jan Sangharsh Padyatra from May 11 from Ajmer to Jaipur to protest against the government of Ashok Gehlot. "During the Jan Sangharsh Padyatra, I will raise issues like corruption and issues concerning the youth. I believe the right decisions are only taken when we have people's support," he said. 

Gehlot and Raje have often been accused by their detractors in their own parties of "going soft" on each other, especially when it came to allegations of corruption. The two leaders have denied any such understanding. A few days ago, Raje had rejected allegations of collusion with Gehlot as lie, saying milk and lemon juice never mix.