Ashok Gehlot | Veteran Congress loyalist with a vengeance that has led to a ‘revolt’

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot (File image)

Coming from a family of magicians, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is often known to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

He did so two years ago when he saved his government from a near-collapse following a rebellion by his bete noire Sachin Pilot. Earlier in 2018, Gehlot successfully thwarted Pilot’s attempts to become Chief Minister even though the young leader had worked hard as President of Rajasthan Congress, playing a key role in the party’s electoral success in the assembly polls.

The magician in Gehlot was at work once again on September 24 when he caught the Congress leadership off-guard by publicly demonstrating his strength in the legislature party and, thereby, nixing Pilot’s chances of occupying the Chief Minister’s ‘gaddi’ in the desert state.

When Congress chief Sonia Gandhi asked Gehlot to file his papers for the party President’s election and he agreed, albeit reluctantly, it was assumed that this would pave the way for the elevation of Pilot as the next Chief Minister. The low-key, understated Gehlot was believed to be the best person to handle the party’s presidency because of his undying loyalty to the Gandhi family as also his impressive CV, which includes three stints as Chief Minister, wide experience as a party office bearer, and a spell as a Union minister. First spotted by Indira Gandhi in his twenties, Gehlot was subsequently groomed by Sanjay Gandhi in the early Seventies, and later became close to Rajiv Gandhi who relied on his feedback on Rajasthan affairs.

But as they zeroed in on this trusted family loyalist as their choice for the Congress President’s post and put in place a succession plan in Rajasthan, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi overlooked a key factor: Gehlot’s intense dislike for his younger colleague Pilot. His one-point agenda is to deny Pilot the Chief Minister’s post even at the risk of being perceived as being disloyal to the Gandhi family, and falling out of favour with the leadership.

In fact, Gehlot makes no bones about his adversarial relationship with Pilot. For someone who is known to avoid any confrontation and believes in taking everyone along, Gehlot’s “hatred” (a term used periodically by his colleagues) for Pilot is unusual. Congress insiders maintain Gehlot gets apoplectic with rage whenever Pilot’s name is mentioned. “I’ll never let this traitor become the Chief Minister,” he recently told his friends in the Congress. Gehlot wanted that someone of his choice be named his successor only after he was elected party President.

This explains the drama which unfolded in Jaipur on September 25 when a majority of Congress legislators pressed for Gehlot’s continuation as Chief Minister, and went as far as to submit their resignation to the Speaker to forestall Pilot’s elevation.

To make matters worse, the MLAs failed to turn up for a meeting convened by central observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, who had been deputed by Sonia Gandhi to confer with them. Though Gehlot maintained he did not instigate this drama, there are few takers for his explanation. This act of defiance has obviously not gone down well with the Congress leadership, which did not expect it of the mild-mannered and trusted Gehlot.

What is particularly galling for Sonia Gandhi is that these developments took place at a time when Rahul Gandhi has embarked on a padyatra in a bid to revitalise the Congress, and the party is in the midst of an election for the Congress President’s post. But given her own diminished position, Sonia Gandhi is constrained from acting against Gehlot though notices have been sent to his loyalists.

As for Gehlot, he has his own reasons for working overtime to keep Pilot out. The two have been at loggerheads well before Pilot sequestered himself and his band of loyalists at a resort two years ago in the hope of bringing down the Gehlot government. This battle raged on even after Gehlot proved his political mettle by saving his government and ensuring that Pilot was removed as Rajasthan Congress President, and did not return as Deputy Chief Minister. Gehlot’s main argument is that the leadership cannot, and should not reward someone who took help from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to wage war against his own party.

Besides his personal beef with Pilot, it is an acknowledged fact that Gehlot and Rajasthan are inseparable. Though he has, over the years, been entrusted with key responsibilities in the party, Gehlot never lost touch with his home state. Unlike other leaders who cannot bear to be away from the corridors of power in Delhi, Gehlot is happiest in Rajasthan, and looks for every opportunity to go back there.

Given the time and energy he has invested in building his political career in Rajasthan where he enjoys immense goodwill, Gehlot was predictably not keen on taking on the party’s presidency. He agreed to file his nomination papers only because he could not turn down Sonia Gandhi’s request.

Gehlot’s apparent reluctance stemmed from the realisation that he would enjoy little functional autonomy as the Gandhis would be constantly looking over his shoulder. With the Congress organisation in poor shape, and the party’s revival posing a tough challenge, Gehlot realised the president’s post is, at best, a crown of thorns. He would rather guard his patch in Rajasthan.