Don’t take offence to Gehlot’s comment: Pilot  

JAIPUR:  Despite an uneasy truce between them, the game of one-upmanship between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot continues. Responding to Gehlot’s comment targeting him for the political turmoil in the state two years ago, Pilot sought to make light of the CM’s criticism.

“Earlier also, Ashok Gehlot had said many things about me like ‘nakara’ and ‘nikamma’ (useless, worthless). He is an experienced, senior person, a father figure, so I do not take offence... Right now, my focus is to bring back our government in the state,” Pilot said on Monday.

Rubbing it in further, Pilot sought to link the Gehlot camp’s renewed attacks to Rahul Gandhi’s praise for him. “If a leader like Rahul is appreciating my patience level, then I think no one should unnecessarily get disturbed by his (Gehlot’s) statement and take it in a right spirit,” Pilot said. He was one of the Congress leaders whose patience Rahul had lauded last week while talking about his questioning by the ED.

Pilot’s comments came two days after Gehlot, responding to a remark by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said the BJP leader had himself “put the stamp on the fact that you were hand-in-glove with him (Pilot)” in the “conspiracy” to topple the state government.