Whiff of Punjab in Rajasthan Congress crisis

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, September 29

With the Congress saying Thursday that party president Sonia Gandhi would decide soon the issue of Rajasthan chief ministership, a familiar script appeared to unfold. A similar turn of events had preceded the unceremonious September 2021 exit of then Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

Analysis

• For now, Gehlot appears to have pulled off the first-ever act of public defiance against Gandhis in Cong

Ashok Gehlot has, however, managed to keep Rajasthan chief ministership for now, having apologised to Sonia for the Sunday revolt of MLAs seen loyal to him. Even so, Gehlot’s future remains uncertain though party sources note that replacing him on election eve could spell major trouble given the support of MLAs he enjoys.

That said, there is talk that the Congress might choose to depute a fresh set of observers to Rajasthan and repeat the exercise Gehlot loyalists stalled on Sunday by refusing to attend an official legislature party meeting or meet AICC observers one-on-one for a resolution authorising Sonia Gandhi to decide on the CM issue. The MLAs had said they would meet only in groups.

Enquiries reveal a consciousness in Rajasthan Congress ranks of the way events had unfolded in Punjab before Amarinder’s ouster. His resignation was preceded by a prolonged Rahul Gandhi-led one-on-one engagement with Punjab MLAs to get a sense of what they wanted and who.

Rajasthan Law Minister Shanti Dhariwal publicly stated on Sunday that unless Congress MLAs in the state united, Rajasthan could go the “Punjab way where a conspiracy was hatched”. Two pro-Gehlot ministers even today accused AICC general secretary (Rajasthan) Ajay Maken of conspiring to remove Gehlot in favour of Sachin Pilot.

A section of Rajasthan Congress sources also red-flagged how a Punjab CLP meeting was called in September 2021 with CM Amarinder claiming to have no clue of it.

Hours before that meeting where Charanjit Channi was installed as the CM, Sonia had asked Amarinder to resign. The Congress had cited surveys revealing “anti-incumbency trends” against Amarinder to remove him, something the party appears to be doing in Rajasthan too where polls are due in late 2023.

Rajasthan developments, however, stand out for the following reasons: unlike Amarinder, Gehlot managed to publicly display the support of 92 MLAs who resigned in his favour; party MLAs refused to meet AICC observers one on one and the CM could not be unceremoniously ousted. Whether Gehlot is allowed to stay will determine the future of the Congress in Rajasthan and at the Centre.