Jaipur, July 12: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday targeted the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, saying there is a “conspiracy” to put pressure on people who advocate democracy and expose those in power.
The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister took part in a silent protest organised here by the Congress to express solidarity with Rahul Gandhi, who has been disqualified from Parliament after his conviction in a defamation case.
The Congress on Wednesday held similar protests at several places in the country, days after the Gujarat High Court refused to stay the conviction. On the sidelines of the Jaipur protest, Pilot claimed investigative agencies are being misused by the Centre and there is an environment of hatred and confrontation in the country.
He said party leader Rahul Gandhi talks about affection, non-violence and strengthening of democracy, but is still being targeted.
“We are not going to back down and will put forth our views firmly. We will face them (the BJP) on all fronts,” he told reporters. The party will reach out to people as they and their vote are the “biggest power in a democracy”, he said.
He said the Congress will win the coming elections in the state if the leaders fight it together, and claimed there is infighting in the state BJP.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot, who have been fighting for supremacy in Rajasthan, appeared to have patched up their differences at a recent meeting with the party’s central leadership in Delhi. When asked about the meeting, Pilot said all leaders present there thought that the Congress will return to power in the state. He maintained that the ruling party will break the trend in the state, which has been rejecting the ruling party every election.
“Everyone sees the infighting and disunity in the BJP, and I believe that when the government and the organisation fight together, we can break the tradition of voting out the ruling party,” he said.
“We will fight the election together, and together we can win the election,” he said.
The former Rajasthan Congress chief said the state government and the party have expressed agreement on his demands.
In May, Pilot had put the Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan under pressure by threatening to launch a state-wide agitation for the demands.
These included a probe into alleged corruption during the previous BJP government in the state and disbanding the current Rajasthan Public Service Commission over paper leaks in recruitment exams. Pilot suggested Wednesday that new rules on the RPSC are being drafted. (PTI)
