Gehlot credits Dotasra's rise in Congress to Pilot's revolt in '20
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Jaipur: Former chief minister
Ashok Gehlot
made revealing statements about Congress politics in Rajasthan during an event commemorating former prime pinister Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary at the PCC headquarters Wednesday.
In candid remarks, Gehlot suggested that current Congress state president
Govind Singh Dotasra
's position was a direct result of the political crisis triggered by
Sachin Pilot
's rebellion in July 2020. During that turbulent period, Pilot was stripped of his roles as deputy CM and Congress state president, with Dotasra stepping into the latter position.
"It is nothing short of a miracle that our govt survived," Gehlot remarked, attributing his previous govt's stability to the Congress high command's support and public goodwill.
"When the top two in the country decide to topple a govt… you can understand who the top two are... When they decided, state govts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra fell," he added.
Even as he highlighted his achievement of completing three terms as CM and acknowledged the exceptional support he received within the party, Gehlot hinted at the probable generational change in the Congress state leadership, saying, "We have our limits, a new generation should come and there should be a change.
We are doing what is possible."
Notably, Dotasra's continued tenure as Congress state president for five years appears to contradict the party's Udaipur Nav Sankalp declaration, which limits individual party posts to three years. Drawing historical parallels, Gehlot referenced how leaders loyal to party high command maintained their positions for four decades, while expressing support for leadership renewal in the present context. "Leaders who supported Indira Gandhi were given responsibilities at that time.
Those same people held positions for 40 years," Gehlot said.
The former CM's statements have reignited discussions about the internal dynamics of Congress in Rajasthan and its future leadership.
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