Sachin Pilot is an Indian politician who has served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan as well as the President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee. In this article, we explore his latest trajectory as a member of the Congress Party. Let’s begin with who he is for the uninitiated and then let’s talk about how he went from serving as Minister of Corporate Affairs in Manmohan Singh’s second ministry to getting into a massive (some might call a direct challenge) tussle with Mr. Gehlot in a move that appeared to be intended to play a big role in the run-up to elections later this year. Mr. Pilot held a one-day fast this week against the alleged corruption of the previous BJP-led government. Vasundhara Raje accused the government of his party of inaction.
Sachin Pilot: Catch Up With The Indian Politician’s Latest News! (2023)
Who is Sachin Pilot?
Indian National Congress politician Sachin Pilot came into this world on 7 September 1977. Sachin became the youngest Indian citizen to become a Member of Parliament. When he was young, he was also an Indian MP for Ajmer constituencies in 2009 and Dausa in Rajasthan, becoming the youngest MP when he was elected from the last seat in 2004 at the age of 26. He was relieved of his position in the Lok Sabha in the 2014 elections from the Ajmer district.
As a member of the Congress Party, he has represented the Tonk assembly in Rajasthan since 2018. Previously, Pilot worked for the Delhi Bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation and then proceeded to get employed for two years under the American multinational corporation General Motors.
Sachin Pilot’s early life and stellar academics:
The future politician was born to his father Rajesh Pilot, the late Congress leader and Rama Pilot . His father was the Union Minister of India. His ancestral village is Waidpura in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
He studied at Air Force Bal Bharati School in New Delhi, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St Stephen’s College Delhi, a Marketing Diploma from IMT Ghaziabad and an MBA from one of the most prestigious business schools in America: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, He was then elected from the Dausa constituency and would go on to become the youngest MP in India at only age 26! In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections , he defeated Kiran Maheshwari of the Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of 76,596 votes to take the seat of Ajmer.
As of April 2023, Sachin cracks down on his fasting:
Friction between Sachin Pilot (who did a fast) and Ashok Gehlot has resurfaced as Congress warned its Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot and called his move “anti-party activity”. However, Mr. Pilot insisted on his post, demanding that Ashok Gehlot’s government take action against those involved in corruption in the previous BJP government.
The Gelot government denied Mr. Pilot’s claims of inaction, leading to the public introduction of the ruling Congress just a few months before assembly elections.
“Sachin Pilot’s one-day fast tomorrow is contrary to the interests of the Party and is an anti-Party activity. If there are any problems with his own government, they can be discussed in the party forums, and not in the media and among the public, ” stated Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa who is a Rajasthan Congress Representative.
The statement was made as the latest attempt to relax the rising situation between Mr. Pilot who has been eyeing the position of Chief Minister for a long time, and Mr. Gehlot, the current Chief Minister.
“I have been in charge of the AICC for the past five months and Pilot Ji has never discussed this issue with me. I keep in touch with him and continue to call for a calm dialogue, as he is an indisputable asset of the Congress Party, ”said Mr. Randhawa.
While Mr. Pilot is demanding action against corrupt officials, the latest confrontation with Gelot’s government is seen as his attempt to put pressure on the Congress leadership to decide who will be the party’s key figure in Rajasthan in an election year.
Mr. Pilot makes no qualms about what he requires and the Congress also knows it, so the party seems to be struggling to make amends, since Mr. Gelot has a significant fan base. The chief minister was expected to run in last year’s congressional presidential election, but he stayed after an uprising by more than 90 MLAs loyal to him who demanded his succession to power in Rajasthan.
So why is Sachin Pilot going on a hunger fast?
Mr. Pilot denies that his latest move has anything to do with the struggle for leadership, that it is just a call to act against corruption. But his message is not lost in the Gehlot camp in the election year.
“No action (by the Gehlot government) regarding corruption by the previous government of Vasundhar Raje has been taken. While in opposition, we have promised to investigate the Rs 45,000 crore mine scam,” Mr. Pilot told reporters when announcing the post. He said he wrote two letters to Mr. Gelot last year detailing the problem but received no response, after which he decided to take stricter action now.
Pilot has asked that the MLAs who support him not join him during the fast as he is not a leader of fasting may be like Gandhi but to instead rally in support of what could be a turning point in Rajasthan politics.
As of early April, Congress issued a statement leaning more towards Mr. Gelot:
“Investigations are ongoing into how the BJP conspired to overthrow our elected government in Rajasthan and tried to buy our mutual legal assistance agreements,” said Congress spokesman Pawan Kera and then continued to add: “It is not correct to say that there is no investigation, because there is an investigation, and if someone has a complaint, he should bring it to the attention of the responsible AICC”.
According to his government, Sachin Pilot has not demonstrated anti-Party activity:
The Congress leadership is also reportedly dissatisfied with a statement made by newly appointed Rajasthan leader Sukjinder Singh Randhawa and senior leader Jairam Ramesh, who verified a statement that called Mr. Pilot’s post “anti-party activity.” Many in the party are upset about Mr. Randhawa’s bad and harsh treatment, who is seen as close to Mr. Gehlot.
In an attempt to avert a Punjabi-like fiasco in Rajasthan, the Congress leadership is hoping to find an aide to help Mr. Pilot and therefore the senior leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath was requested to mediate between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, sources told NDTV.
Sources said Kamal Nath met with Mr. Pilot and party general secretary K.S. Venugopal in Delhi just a few days back and discussed ways to resolve differences between the two factions.
The Congressional leadership, which initially supported Mr. Hechlot and made two statements in support of him, calling Mr. Pilot’s post “anti-Party activity”, has now changed its position and is trying to find a middle ground. Sources said Mr. Pilot took his grievances to Kamal Nath and Mr. Venugopal and demanded fair treatment from the party.
According to Congressional insiders, Mr. Pilot also defended his post against Ms. Raje, saying that he was not anti-partisan and that he raised issues of public interest. He argued that there was a double standard within the party when other leaders criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for their alleged failures.
Congress President Mallikarjun Harge has been trying to find a middle ground and wants all sides to settle their differences, especially as the party is holding important elections in the state of Karnataka. The party is also aware of Mr. Hechlot’s weakness and the huge opposition to his government in the state, the sources said.
For now, the party is postponing a decision and is trying to see if behind-the-scenes negotiations can secure a truce that will last until the state elections.
