'Rajesh Pilot spoke against the family and was punished,' PM Modi's big claim in Rajasthan

Hitting out at the Gandhi family while addressing a rally in Kotri, Rajasthan on Wednesday, November 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that no leader in the party can speak ill about the family. 

Attacking the Congress over dynasty politics, PM Modi asserted that the Gandhi family comes first. He underlined that the entire nation is aware of the history of the party and the first family. 

“If any Congress leader dares to speak truth which is uncomfortable for the first family, then it is for sure that the political career of the leader is going to end,” said PM Modi during his rally in poll-bound Rajasthan. 

“For the benefit of Congress, Rajesh Pilot once challenged the family,” said PM Modi, adding that he has been punished for the same, despite withdrawing from the fight. The Prime Minister accused the Gandhi family of punishing Rajesh Pilot for challenging the Gandhi family, alleging that the family is punishing Rajesh Pilot’s son Sachin Pilot for the same. 

“At the cost of its own destruction, the Congress party will never fail to attack those who raise their voice against the Gandhi family,” said PM Modi. The Congress wil face an embarrassing defeat in this assembly election, said the prime minister. 

Who was Rajesh Pilot? 

Long before, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot protested against the party leadership for denying him the top chair, it was Rajesh Pilot who challenged the party's central leadership multiple times. 

Born as Rajeshwar Prasad Bidhuri, Sachin’s father contested his first election as Rajesh Pilot (as he was popularly known) after resigning from the Indian Air Force. Rajesh Pilot contested his first Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate under Indira Gandhi from Bharatpur in 1980. 

Tale of Rajesh Pilot’s rebellions

He was appointed as a union minister in Rajiv Gandhi government and the tale of rebellion started under the tenure of PV Narasimha Rao, while Rao was serving both as India’s Prime Minister and Congress president. 

• Rajesh Pilot as the home (internal security) minister ordered the arrest of controversial godman Chandraswami, considered close to the prime minister Rao then. 
• Further, Pilot contested against Sitaram Kesri for the party's top post, however lost in 1997. 
• Then, he challenged Sonia Gandhi as she was set to take the baton from Sitaram Kesri. However, Pilot later opted out from the fight under pressure from senior party colleagues. 
• In preparation to contest for the top post, Pilot along with rebel Jitendra Prasad held a massive rally on May 21, 2000 on the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi in Jhansi. 

Unfortunately, Pilot died in a car accident near Jaipur on June 11, 2000 within 20 days after holding the rally.