'We won election because of Pilot': Rajasthan Cong MLA backs ex-Dy CM amid power tussle

Amid the ongoing political tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Congress MLA Ved Prakash Solanki has backed Pilot saying that because of the DyCM, the grand-old-party won the 2018 state assembly elections. Solanki's remarks were in response to a query over the absence of Pilot from the list of the party's star campaigners.

Speaking to reporters over the absence of Sachin Pilot in Congress' list of star campaigners, the MLA said whether the former DyCM's name appears in the list or not, he was and will remain a "star". "It doesn't matter, whether his (Sachin Pilot) name is there on the list or not. Irrespective of that, he was a star and will remain a star. We won the elections because of him, and we stand by him," he said.

Notably, earlier on Wednesday, the Congress released a list of its 40 star campaigners including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, for the Karnataka elections. Surprisingly, Gehlot was included in the list but not Pilot, which sparked speculation of infighting in the party. 

Congress MLA slams Gehlot govt

Highlighting that the SC-ST community holds significant importance in Congress' vote bank, Solanki asserted that if the party fails to meet their demands, it might be difficult for them to regain power in the upcoming Rajasthan assembly elections.

"SC-ST is the core of Congress vote bank, and till we are not able to keep it intact, we will not be able to come back to power. The SC-ST themselves want to stay with Congress, but that will only happen when the genuine issues of the society are solved. If the issue is ignored, we won’t get good results," he said. He further stated that after Pilot raised his voice, four Ministers were made from the SC and ST communities. However, he slammed the Rajasthan government, saying that these Ministers do not have any "real power". 

"After Sachin Pilot raised his voice, four ministers were made from the SC-ST community. But these ministers don’t have any real power of their own. There is no benefit of such ministers if they can’t use their powers," Solanki said.

(With inputs from ANI)