Ashok Gehlot met Sonia Gandhi at her residence a day ago.
New Delhi:
He may have come out with an apology, but he went in to draw blood. Ashok Gehlot’s meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Thursday concluded with the Rajasthan Chief Minister quitting the race for Congress President as well as symbolic capitulation, but his notes for the session have painted an entirely different picture.
Captured by Malayala Manorama photographer J Suresh, a photo of the cheat-sheet Mr Gehlot carried into the meeting has offered rare insight into the points he most likely raised with Ms Gandhi.
The leaked letter of Ashok Gehlot to Sonia Gandhi.
(Whatever has happened bad has happened, I am also very hurt, apart from SP, CP, Govind and 102 are also written.) pic.twitter.com/gksaFupgtl
— সুমিত দত্ত (@EgiyeBangla2022) September 30, 2022
The picture reveals a charge-sheet of sorts against Mr Gehlot’s younger rival, Sachin Pilot. It was Sachin Pilot’s probable appointment as Chief Minister if Mr Gehlot moved to Delhi to lead the party, that had spurred an all-out revolt by MLAs loyal to the latter and thus the end of the plan.
Making severe allegations against Sachin Pilot, referred to as ‘SP’, Mr Gehlot’s notes claimed he enjoyed the “support of 102 MLAs as against 18” by his rival and that there was every chance of the younger Congress leader “quitting the party for political gains”.
They also accused Sachin Pilot of having attempted to “overthrow” the Congress government in the state as state party chief in collusion with the BJP, which had tried to buy out MLAs by offering Rs 10 to 50 crore.
According to the photo, Mr Gehlot planned to start off his case to Ms Gandhi saying, “Jo hua bahut dukhad hai, main bhi bahut aahat hun (What happened is very sad, I am also deeply hurt)” – an apparent reference to the rebellion by his camp.
“Rajneeti mein hawa badalte dekh, saath-chhor dete hain. Yahaan aisa nahin hua (There is a culture of changing sides, looking at the changing political scenario. It didn’t happen here)…” it said – an apparent defence of his MLAs.
“SP will leave party – observer pehle sahi report dete toh party ke liye achcha hota (If observers had given a correct report earlier, it would have been good for the party)”, the notes said, also accusing Sachin Pilot of being “Pehla pradesh adhyaksh jisne sarkaar girane ki poori koshish ki (The first state president who tried his best to topple the government)”.
Neither the Congress, nor Ashok Gehlot have commented on the picture yet.