Gehlot Vs Pilot Rivalry Returns: Inside Congress's Never-Ending Rajasthan Power Struggle
Gehlot Vs Pilot Rivalry Returns: Inside Congress's Never-Ending Rajasthan Power Struggle Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 14:24 IST Ashok Gehlot has brought back
Gehlot Vs Pilot Rivalry Returns: Inside Congress's Never-Ending Rajasthan Power Struggle Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 14:24 IST Ashok Gehlot has brought back old wounds with his latest remark that Sachin Pilot "must accept the truth" and "forgive and forget" what happened in 2022. Rapid Read The roots of the Gehlot-Pilot rivalry go back to the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly election. (AI generated image) Just when Rajasthan Congress appeared to have put its most bitter internal feud behind it, fresh remarks by former chief minister Ashok Gehlot have reignited debate over the party’s leadership battle. The comments come amid growing speculation that Congress could once again entrust Sachin Pilot with a bigger organisational role in the state, with reports suggesting he is being considered for the post of Rajasthan Congress chief as the party looks to rebuild after its 2023 Assembly election defeat. Speaking about the 2020 crisis that erupted when Pilot was seen as a potential successor to him as chief minister, Gehlot said the Congress leader should “forgive and forget" the past. He also maintained that the rebellion by Congress MLAs at the time was not directed against the party high command but against the prospect of Pilot taking charge of the government. “I want to tell Pilot sahab that he should accept the truth. Humans make mistakes, and I can make them too. If he made a mistake, he should admit it. As soon as I left the hotel in Jaisalmer (in 2020), when it was decided they (the Pilot-led rebels) were returning, I spoke to you (media) and said, ‘Forget and forgive.’ If Sachin Pilot had understood my feelings that day, he too would have forgotten and forgiven. I didn’t say that it wasn’t my fault and that it was his. I said, ‘Forget and forgive,’ meaning forget and forgive the mistakes we made between us. Now, if he didn’t understand that, what’s my fault," Gehlot said on Sunday. The remarks have triggered sharp reactions from the BJP, which has accused Gehlot of political insecurity and claimed his comments reflect anxiety over Pilot’s possible rise within the Congress organisation.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, “Ashok Gehlot is struggling to keep himself relevant. He tries to portray himself as a Gandhian, but we all know how he conducts himself politically. Additionally, he has said that they should politically lengthen the line, but Rajasthan’s history bears witness, the history of the Rajasthan Congress Party also bears witness, that every worker who has ever tried to lengthen their line even a little has been attempted to be erased by him." “I think the Congress Party is considering giving Sachin Pilot some new responsibility, that’s why this restlessness. Ashok Gehlot himself is scared because he is moving away from power, so out of fear, he keeps making such comment," Shekhawat added. The Rajasthan Battle That Began In 2018 The roots of the Gehlot-Pilot rivalry go back to the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly election. Pilot, then Rajasthan Congress president, was widely credited with rebuilding the party after its crushing defeat in 2013 and leading it back to power. But when it came to choosing the chief minister, the Congress leadership opted for veteran leader Ashok Gehlot over the younger Pilot. Pilot was made deputy chief minister and state Congress chief, but the arrangement never fully settled the leadership question. What followed was a prolonged struggle between the party’s old guard and its younger leadership. Gehlot remained firmly in control of the government and most Congress MLAs, while Pilot continued to enjoy support among younger leaders and party workers. The 2020 Revolt That Changed Everything The relationship reached breaking point in 2020 when Pilot and a group of loyalist MLAs camped in Manesar, Haryana, in what Gehlot described as an attempt to bring down the Congress government. Pilot denied working against the party, but the episode permanently altered his relationship with Gehlot. The then chief minister repeatedly accused his former deputy of rebellion and questioned whether someone who had challenged the government could later lead it. Although the Congress high command eventually brokered a truce, mistrust between the two camps never disappeared.
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