Rahul Gandhi to salvage Rajasthan political crisis? Cong leader calls meeting with Sachin Pilot

As the rift within the Congress party deepens, fuelled by reports of alleged rivalry between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Depuy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has invited the latter for a crucial meeting at 5.30 pm on Sunday.

Sources close to Zee News stated that if Pilot attends the meeting with Rahul, then the situation will be salvaged, otherwise, it might pave the ground for the toppling of the Congress party government in Rajasthan as rumors are circulating that Pilot might join the BJP along with his loyalist MLAs.

Meanwhile, Pilot arrived in Delhi today for a meeting with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, sources quoted by news agency IANS said on Sunday. 

The sources added that at least a dozen MLAs from Pilot's camp are also staying put in Delhi-NCR.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary In-Charge of Rajasthan, Avinash Pandey has submitted a report to party's interim president Sonia Gandhi that mentions there is some resentment of the MLAs that will be taken care of.

The development comes after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused BJP of trying to topple his government. Moreover, Congress leader Mahesh Joshi accused the BJP of trying to poach MLAs of the ruling party in Rajasthan.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) on Saturday arrested two persons in connection with alleged attempts to destabilise state government.

Amid these accusations of poaching legislators, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has gone incommunicado ever since the Chief Minister launched a fresh salvo against the BJP. According to reports, Pilot has not been responding to either the central leadership or the local leaders' calls or attempts to communicate.

Reports have emerged which statesPilot is afraid of losing the post of Rajasthan Congress president.  

Sachin Pilot is considered to have played a crucial role in reviving the party following its worst defeat in the state in the 2013 state assembly elections. The 2018 assembly polls were fought under his command, and the party managed to seize power in the state following the win in the assembly elections.

However, he was not given the post of the Chief Minister and the party's leadership mandated him the post of the Deputy Chief Minister, while he remained the Rajasthan Congress president.