Ghaziabad, June 8 (IANS) Former Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Monday launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leadership never intended to make Sachin Pilot the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and was responsible for the prolonged political conflict within the party in the state.
His remarks came amid renewed discussion over the long-running power struggle between senior Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.
The debate resurfaced after Gehlot recently stated that the political developments of September 25, 2022, were not a rebellion against the Congress high command but rather a rift among party legislators over the possibility of Pilot replacing him as Chief Minister.
Gehlot had also maintained that there was a “big conspiracy” that prevented him from becoming Congress president, a position currently held by Mallikarjun Kharge.
Commenting on the Rajasthan leadership tussle, Krishnam claimed that the roots of the conflict lay not in Jaipur but in decisions taken by the Congress leadership in Delhi.
“Sachin Pilot has become a victim of a conspiracy. The root of the conflict is not Ashok Gehlot or any other leader; the real root of the dispute is in Delhi. In fact, Rahul Gandhi himself is at the centre of this situation. Just like in Punjab, where Amarinder Singh was sidelined through Navjot Singh Sidhu, and later Sidhu was sidelined through Charanjit Singh Channi, similarly, conflicts are created, and then they step back,” Krishnam told IANS.
He further alleged that Pilot was never genuinely considered for the top post in Rajasthan and claimed that Gehlot was deliberately projected as the party’s principal leader in the state.
“Sachin Pilot was not meant to be made Chief Minister; that is why Ashok Gehlot was made the face. Ashok Gehlot is a very power-hungry person. Ashok Gehlot has become blinded by the lust for power,” he said.
Krishnam went on to accuse Rahul Gandhi and his close associates of deliberately preventing Pilot’s elevation to the Chief Minister’s post. He also questioned why disciplinary action was not taken against Gehlot despite his differences with the party leadership during the Rajasthan political crisis.
“When Siddaramaiah can be removed, Amarinder Singh can be removed, then why not Ashok Gehlot?” he asked.
“The Congress high command does not want to see Sachin Pilot as Chief Minister of Rajasthan, because people have hopes from him. When people see hope in any leader, Rahul Gandhi and his team do not tolerate that person. Till the time Rahul and his team are there, nothing good will happen to Congress, and slowly it will be wiped out completely,” he added.
Taking aim at the INDIA Bloc, Krishnam suggested that opposition parties were increasingly sceptical about the effectiveness of Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
“Mamata Banerjee’s party wants to merge with the BJP because they cannot see a future for Mamata Banerjee and her party. However, the Congress party desires a merger with the TMC, but the Trinamool Congress does not want this. BJP has destroyed the TMC in Bengal. Rahul and Mamata do not like each other. Now, a perception has developed within the Opposition that it is impossible to take on the BJP under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership,” he said.
Using strong language against the Congress leader, Krishnam further remarked that Rahul Gandhi had lost his political effectiveness in the eyes of opposition parties.
“Everyone in Opposition knows this now. If the Opposition is to be saved, Rahul Gandhi must first be removed from the post of Leader of Opposition,” he added.
Krishnam also alleged that the Congress was struggling with internal divisions and suggested that the party was moving towards a deeper organisational crisis.
During the interaction, he also reacted to a recent social media post by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, claiming a botch-up in Ram Mandir donation funds.
“Akhilesh Yadav and his party cannot be trusted because they are the same people who wanted to create obstacles in the path of the Ram Mandir. They have always opposed the Ram Mandir. Akhilesh Yadav, Kapil Sibal, and Rahul Gandhi are all people who did not want the Ram Mandir to be built and did not even want to see it being built. They tried to create hurdles in its construction,” he said.
While expressing distrust towards the Samajwadi Party and its leadership, he said that concerns raised by a former Chief Minister regarding the Ram Mandir issue should be examined seriously.
“However, Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and always talks against our religion, is raising such concerns; then it needs to be taken seriously. Akhilesh Yadav’s party had indeed ordered firing on Ram Bhakts, but if a person like him is raising such questions, then it is a serious matter,” he added.
Krishnam concluded by urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure that the issues raised by Akhilesh Yadav are investigated thoroughly so that the facts can be established and clarity can emerge on the matter.
–IANS
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