The political tussle in Rajasthan is turning murkier by the day. With the Congress government headed by Ashok Gehlot struggling to retain power, the matter of dissidence in the party is being shuttled between the Assembly Speaker, the High Court and the Supreme Court, all in a row. Irrespective of what the final court ruling will be, what is clear by now is that Gehlot’s days are numbered. What he claims at best is a majority of just one in the 200-member assembly, and as high as 19 MLAs are with Sachin Pilot, the ex-deputy CM who would not settle for anything other than Gehlot’s scalp and a change of leadership if he should remain with the Congress party. Herein lies the rub.
It’s too late for the Congress to have a change of mind and opt for Pilot as CM, as it would be tantamount to a loss of face for the party and a rise in stature for the rebel leader. This could encourage dissidence in the party in other states too, and the ones who flex their muscles will gain the upper hand. This could be scary for both Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul. The Congress is not in a strong position in the state assembly to simply bite the bullet. The principal Opposition, the BJP, is waiting in the wings to grab power in the state that had been its pocket-borough for it for long.
The Rajasthan saga is a sign of the times. What Sachin Pilot plays is outright power politics, and he has shown the gumption to put his interests over and above the party interests. Being young, smart or charming by itself should not mean that a leader can defy the party leadership, in a situation in which he has no serious complaints to raise against the chief minister. That the two were not on talking terms for quite some time is well-known, and this would have affected the functioning of the government too. It was for the central leadership of the party to address this thorny issue and arrive at a final decision before things went out of hand. Pilot took the law into his hands and is dictating to the party that he be made the CM.
Politics has lost its ideological moorings long ago, and it is simply personal interests that take the upper hand. So too with the Rajasthan political tussle. This is also proof of the way the Congress as a political establishment is disintegrating.