The Congress will constitute a three-member committee to look after the grievances of sulking Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who met Rahul Gandhi on Monday.
The party said that the two leaders held a frank, open and conclusive discussion.
In a statement, party General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, “Congress President Sonia Gandhi has decided that the AICC will constitute a three-member committee to address the issues raised by Sachin Pilot, the aggrieved MLA, and arrive at an appropriate resolution thereof.”
Also Read – Former President Pranab Mukherjee Tests Covid Positive
“Sachin Pilot has met former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and expressed his grievances in detail. They have had a frank, open and conclusive discussion. Sachin Pilot has committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan,” said the statement.
The Congress had sacked Pilot as Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress President. So far, Gehlot has stayed put as the Chief Minister amid claims and counter-claims on attempts to poach MLAs.
The development comes after Rahul Gandhi met Sachin Pilot on Monday. The duo had a meeting in presence of Priyanka Gandhi and then both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi drove from Rahul Gandhi’s residence to 10 Janpath, where all the three, including Sonia Gandhi, discussed the issue.
Sources said that Congress has assured that Pilot’s grievances will be addressed regarding Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan politics. However, the party claims that previous status will be restored and his concerns will be sorted out.
While leaders from the Congress camp claimed that MLAs from the Pilot camp did not want to join the ranks, the negotiations started with the party and Pilot reapproached the senior leadership, including Ahmed Patel and Rahul Gandhi, and was taken into confidence for future action. After Rahul Gandhi said yes, the deal was sealed.
Fought over ideological issues
Indicating an end to the rebellion in the Congress’ Rajasthan unit, a meeting took place between Sachin Pilot and his loyalists and the three-member panel formed by interim party chief Sonia Gandhi to look into their grievances, at the war room in the Congress headquarters here on Monday evening.
The three-member panel comprises senior party leaders Ahmed Patel, Priyanka Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal.
Following the meeting, Pilot stressed that his fight was ideological and not personal.
“Since the past few days, some MLAs were in Delhi, there were some issues of the state which we wanted to highlight and I have done that by raising the issues clearly. I have been saying since the beginning that all these things were based on principles. I always thought these things are essential to be raised in the party’s interest,” he told mediapersons.
Pilot also said that he believed that all these issues will be resolved after Sonia Gandhi heard all their concerns and the governance issues that they had raised. He also welcomed the formation of the three-member committee.
“I heard a lot of things. I was surprised by a few things that were said. I think we should always maintain restraint and humility. We had formed a government in Rajasthan after five years of hard work,” he said.
Pilot also said that he didn’t want to raise the issues discussed in front of the media.
