By D N Singh
What has played out itself in Rajasthan, is literally a political fisticuffs which has spiraled out of the party high command’s control.
Ashok Gehlot’s dispositions in last 48 hours showed that, he has straight away defied what his party bosses in Delhi want. The Delhi leaders have been in favour of Sachin Pilot as the successor to Gehlot.
Which has been contested by Gehlot and he, enjoying the support of majority MLAs, is not only playing political footsie and by doing so, he has given the signal that, Rajasthan is not Punjab.
Gehlot means to have the cake and eat it too. He may quit for the polls in the Congress but he wants his pick to replace him.
And he has seen to it that, all his supporters echo that and that has happened. In this prolonged tug-of-war, Sachin Pilot, who was stated to be High Command’s choice for Rajasthan seems weighed down by arithmetic.
Which leaves very limited options before the top leadership: one, to ask Gehlot to resign and allow the election of his successor or second, should he face strict disciplinary action.
But, nothing that sort of may happen now and the news about Kamal Nath being sent to defuse the Raj crisis gives the impression that, Gehlot can still be tamed .
That leaves the party leaders in Delhi in a situation when, they want to wound Gehlot but afraid to strike. Which is, at a time, when the beleaguered party tries to recapture its lost credibility through the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
