The game of one-upmanship between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot has taken an interesting turn.
Sachin Pilot went to meet Gehlot to invite him for his father Rajesh Pilot’s 25th death anniversary. A big function had been organized in Dausa, Rajasthan.
Sachin Piot was showing his big heartedness at inviting the former chief minister who had reportedly called him nakara, nikamma, had filed sedition cases against him and his key aides, rebelled against former Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a bid to ensure Sachin Pilot did not become the chief minister and so on.
Ashok Gehlot has been trying and trying hard to get a placement in Delhi but Sonia and Rahul Gandhi remain unforgiving and sources say there is no question of accommodating him anywhere.
Interestingly Ashok Gehlot reached Dausa in blistering Rajasthan desert heat and attended the function.
Was it a tactical move by Gehlot? No one knows. Though he is trying hard to remain relevant in Rajasthan politics even though Delhi has so far refused to accommodate him,
He is also trying to show Delhi that he is a transformed man and wants unity and togetherness in the party. He said that he and Sachin Pilot are together and there is no acrimony or animosity between them and that they are both working together for the party and the state.
स्व. राजेश पायलट जी की 25वीं पुण्यतिथि पर भण्डाना, जिला दौसा में सर्वधर्म प्रार्थना सभा का आयोजन किया गया।
इतना समय बीत जाने के बाद भी उनकी सादगी, साहस और सेवा के रास्ते पर चलकर बहुत कुछ सीखा जा सकता है।
कार्यक्रम में राजस्थान प्रभारी श्री सुखजिंदर रंधावा जी, पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री… pic.twitter.com/r1l7EIyHjx
— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) June 11, 2025
The paradox is that no one is buying the Gehlot narrative, least of all the congress high command.
Was it a tactical move by Gehlot? No one knows. Though he is trying hard to remain relevant in Rajasthan politics even though Delhi has so far refused to accommodate him,
As one leader put it, it’s difficult for a leopard to change his spots just as it’s difficult for Gehlot to appear as the magnanimous leader who is willing to embrace Sachin Pilot.
Both leaders have good words to say about each other but that appears to be a superficial exercise.
A host of senior Rajasthan’s leaders including AICC General Secretary Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were present at the invitation of Sachin Pilot.
While Gehlot is decisively the past, Sachin Pilot is the rising star in not only in Rajasthan but in the Congress Party’s national politics and certainly the future in Rajasthan as he has been able to attract the youth and other castes in the state, which is an asset for Rahul Gandhi’s pragmatic issue based politics.
But it must be said to the credit of Sachin Pilot that he took the first step to break the ice, appear generous and hold out the hand of friendship towards Gehlot.
This itself will earn Pilot a large number of brownie points even amongst the Gehlot supporters in the party, forget others in the state and New Delhi.
Renu Mittal
Renu Mittal is a veteran Journalist of India. She is reporting on the Congress Party affairs since 1983.
