Rajasthan: Congress ejects Sachin Pilot As deputy CM, state party chief

JAIPUR: The bitter feud between Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and his challenger Sachin Pilot reached the point of no return with Congress on Tuesday sacking the latter as deputy CM and state party chief, accusing him of working at the instance of BJP to topple the state government. Four Pilot loyalists, two of them cabinet ministers, were also sacked.
The development was not a surprise as efforts by the Congress brass to get Pilot to withdraw his rebellion failed even as his supporters upped the ante by demanding a change of leadership. School education minister and Jat leader Govind Singh Dotasra, seen as “neutral” in state politics, was named the new PCC chief. The decision to remove Pilot came after a meeting of the Congress legislature party (CLP) called for strict action against rebels on Tuesday.

While BJP demanded Gehlot face a floor test, Pilot’s plan of action wasn’t immediately clear. He tweeted: “Truth can be rattled, not defeated”.
There were expectations Pilot might address the media on Wednesday. The parting with Congress was on the cards as Pilot had made it clear that portfolios for supporters or assurances on his tenure as state chief fell way short of his expectations. Gehlot, too, was determined to settle the issue, placing a majority of Congress MLAs in a resort and alleging that BJP was the force behind Pilot.