Months after Gehlot-Pilot Tussle, Ajay Maken Says Congress United, New Unit in Rajasthan by Year-end

A new state unit of Congress in Rajasthan will be in place by the year-end and chairpersons for boards of corporations would be appointed by January 31 after holding wide-ranging consultations and ensuring equitable distribution to all sections, AICC general secretary in-charge for the state Ajay Maken said on Monday. He also said the Congress party in Rajasthan is united and there is no threat to its government in the state led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, as he asserted that the BJP would miserably fail if it tries to bring it down again.

The Congress leader said Gehlot is an honest politician and an experienced warhorse, while describing Sachin Pilot as an asset for the party. The Congress government in Rajasthan was on the verge of collapse after Pilot along with 19 disgruntled MLAs raised a banner of revolt earlier this year.

Hectic consultations with rebel leaders led by Pilot helped the Congress save its government and its state unit from a division. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had set up a three-member panel of Maken, AICC general secretary organisation KC Venugopal and senior party leader Ahmed Patel to iron out differences within the state leadership. Maken said the panel met thrice in August-September, but after the demise of Patel, the two other members — he and Venugopal — met last week and fixed deadlines for appointing a new PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) body and heads of boards and corporations in the state.

The issue has been lingering for some time and the factions within the state Congress do not want to be left out. "We have charted out a course of action in detail. We have fixed some deadlines which have been communicated to the CM, PCC President, Sachin Pilot and others. The ongoing phase of the local body elections in Rajasthan would be over by December 20. Soon after that, within 10 days, before the end of this month, the PCC President will submit his proposal for the PCC Executive body for further approval of the AICC President," Maken told .

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