Rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is holed up in a hotel in Haryana, has reportedly spoken to former finance minister and senior Congress leader Chidambaram in a phone call. In conversation with Pilot, Chidambaram told both NDTV and The Indian Express that the leadership has publicly invited him (Pilot) for a meeting, and advised him to seize the opportunity.
The call comes amid the Rajasthan assembly speaker's push to get Pilot and 18 other MLAs disqualified. However, the Congress is split on how the issue should be handled; Even as a section of leaders within the Congress feels that Sachin Pilot has "gone too far", especially after he took the party to court over the disqualification issue, the top party leadership is still keeping the "doors open" for the rebel leader.
The choice of lawyers—Mukul Rohatgi and Harish Salve—selected by Pilot to plead on his behalf in the Rajasthan High Court have also raised eyebrows within the Congress, with some party leaders saying the selection suggested the BJP involvement.
The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who is part of a team sent by the Congress leadership to Jaipur to handle the crisis, held a closed-door meeting with Gehlot and urged him not to make any public statement against his former deputy, as the party leaders still want Pilot to return. According to numerous reports, this was done at the insistence of Rahul Gandhi, who is keen to retain Pilot, whom he considers as part of his young brigade.
After Pilot on Wednesday declared that he is not joining the BJP, the party asked the rebel leader to stop fraternising with the BJP and give up the hospitality of a BJP-ruled state. "We want to tell Pilot that if you don't want to go to the BJP then don't accept Haryana's hospitality. If you don't want to go to the BJP, stop talking to any BJP leader or member," Surjewala said, while asking the rebel leader to return to the party fold and resolve any differences within.
The Congress on Tuesday removed Pilot as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and state party chief after he mounted a rebellion against CM Gehlot, and also the Rajasthan speaker sent disqualification notice to him and 18 other MLAs after they defied a party whip to ttend two Congress Legislature Party meetings.
Pilot and the dissident leaders moved the Rajasthan High Court, challenging the notices to disqualify them from the state assembly.
-Inputs from PTI
