After effecting changes in the Punjab Congress, the party's central leadership has intensified efforts to resolve the infighting in its Rajasthan unit, with AICC general secretary in-charge Ajay Maken, who wrapped up a two-day visit to Jaipur on Sunday, giving indications of a cabinet expansion, which has been a sticking point between the camps of CM Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, happening soon.
Maken had arrived in Jaipur along with AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation K.C. Venugopal on Saturday, and the two leaders held a meeting with MLAs and party office-bearers at the PCC office, where it was decided that Maken would have one-to-one meetings with all the Congress state legislators on July 28 and 29.
In a significant statement, Maken told the media that there was no difference of opinion among Rajasthan Congress leaders on the much awaited cabinet expansion. He said the final decision about the cabinet reshuffle had been left to the party high command.
“I can say that there is no conflict among the party leaders and they have all left the final decision about the cabinet expansion to the party high command,” Maken said.
Maken and Venugopal held a lengthy discussion with Chief Minister Gehlot at his residence on Saturday evening, where the issues of cabinet expansion and political appointments are understood to have been discussed.
There are nine vacancies in the state cabinet, which has 21 members at present. While Pilot's supporters hope that the lion's share of the vacancies come to them, Gehlot has cited the need to accommodate the Independents who have been supporting his government and the former BSP MLAs who joined the Congress.
The Pilot camp has, in recent months, been impatient over the delay in the cabinet expansion and political appointments. It is felt that Gehlot has been putting off the changes because he does not want to cede any space to Pilot and his supporters. In the wake of the party high command intensifying its efforts to resolve the infighting in Punjab, the Pilot group sought the central leadership's intervention in Rajasthan.
After Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed PCC chief in Punjab in the face of stiff resistance to the move by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, there was heightened expectation of the party high command nudging Gehlot to do what is necessary so that a balance of power can be maintained between him and Pilot.
