Jaipur
When political crisis rose within Congress and threatened to topple the state government, the party rushed senior leaders to work out a solution. Randeep Singh Surjewala was in Jaipur as Sonia Gandhi’s envoy and it was amply obvious he had been given a brief — to break the deadlock, work out a consensus, satisfy some of the demands and bring Sachin Pilot back into the Congress fold. His utterances over the last 72 hours since he landed in Jaipur late on Sunday evening have given ample hints the party was giving Pilot a long rope and willing to keep all doors open to accept demands and get him back.
But it was Surjewala who looked disappointed as he walked out to brief the media about the decision the party had taken. He spoke for almost four minutes to build up to the information he had come out to give. Surjewala said, “On behalf of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi we appealed that doors are open for Sachin Pilot.” Surjewala said on more than one occasion Pilot was a loved and valued member of the Congress family. Even before he announced Pilot’s ouster he said, “Subah ka bhoola sham ko ghar aa jaye to use bhoola nahi kahte, sham ka bhoola agar subah ghar aa jaye to use bhi bhoola nahin kahte use parivaar ka sadasaye kahte hain, (a man who loses his way in the morning and comes back home in the evening is not considered lost). We assured him that everything he wanted to say would be heard and solutions would be sought.”
Then came the part where the party’s angst was obvious. It clearly showed that the party felt cheated after what it had invested into Pilot. “The affection, blessings, cooperation and political support Sachin was given in a young age has probably not been given to anyone in the country. He joined politics in 2003 and was made an MP at 26. He was hardly 32 when he was made a minister in the Union Cabinet. He was made PCC chief at age 36 and Dy CM at 40. He was encouraged a lot in the short span of 17-18 years from 2003 to 2020.”
Surjewala said, “This means he had the personal affection and blessings of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. This is why he was given political strength again and again.”
What will be Pilot’s next step remains to be seen. He could join BJP or float his own party. But if one takes into consideration the facts regarding Pilot’s career span and growth, it cannot be denied his next destination will definitely not provide him similar affection.
