Rajasthan: Why Is Sachin Pilot Holding Kisan Mahapanchayats Ahead of Rahul Gandhi s Visit?
Through the rallies, the former deputy chief minister is trying to demonstrate that his influence has not diminished, even if his stature has.
Sachin Pilot addressing farmers in Jasoda, Bharatpur. Photo: Twitter/@sachinpilot
Politics10/Feb/2021
Jaipur: Just a few days ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Rajasthan to lend support farmers who are protesting the Centre’s three farm laws, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot has been holding massive “kisan mahapanchayats”.
While these meetings have been well attended, the state’s chief minister Ashok Gehlot, cabinet ministers and the Congress party’s key functionaries have distanced themselves from the rallies.
BJP-led government at Centre is indifferent to their agony, he says
Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said the BJP-led government at the Centre was pushing the future of farmers into darkness by refusing to budge on the demand for the withdrawal of the agricultural sector laws. “Farmers are sitting at the Delhi borders in the cold, but the government is indifferent to their agony,” Mr. Pilot said.
Addressing a massive farmers’ rally at Fateh Sagar Taal in Bharatpur district’s Bayana region, the former Deputy Chief Minister said the laws, which would destroy both farming and the mandis, were not being discussed by the BJP leaders in Parliament despite the Budget session being in progress. He said the Congress would continue to support the farmers till the controversial statutes were repealed.
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Jaipur: Hectic lobbying is on ahead of political appointments and a cabinet expansion in Rajasthan with leaders making a beeline for Delhi to meet state incharge Ajay Maken.
In the past one week, around 30 leaders from Rajasthan including former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, ministers, MLAs and MLA candidates who lost the elections have met Maken in Delhi.
Sources said Pilot had two meetings with Maken on Monday and Tuesday, and held discussions on political appointments and on the cabinet rejig.
Pilot is understood to have forwarded new names from his camp for cabinet appointments. When Congress came to power in 2018, six MLAs were made ministers from Pilotâs quota. These were Bhanwarlal Meena, Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Udailal Anjana and Pramod Jain. However, Bhanwarlal Meena has passed away while Anjana, Khachariyawas and Jain shifted loyalties to Gehlot.