Sachin Pilot gives ultimatum to Gehlot govt if demands not met by this month

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 15 : Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday gave an ultimatum to his own party's government in Rajasthan to probe the alleged paper leak scam that happened during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule in the State.
He warned the Gehlot government that if his demands were not met by this month, he would agitate across the state.
Pilot's 5-day Jan Sangharsh Yatra' culminated on Monday in Jaipur. He had started his yatra on May 11 to protest against the inaction of the Rajasthan government in the alleged corruption cases during the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the State.
Addressing a public meeting here, Pilot warned the state government of his own party to start agitation in the entire state from next month if the three demands raised by him are not fulfilled by this month.
Along with disbanding and reorganizing the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), which came into the limelight in the paper leak case, Pilot demanded financial compensation to the affected candidates and a high-level inquiry into the alleged scam of the Vasundhara government.
The Congress leader said that there was loot along with corruption during the five years rule of the previous Vasundhara government. "Then Ashok Gehlot saheb also levelled allegations while being in the opposition. Today four and a half years have been completed but the promises made have not been fulfilled and action has not been taken on the allegations," Pilot said adding that he wrote several letters to Chief Minister Gehlot.
"I went on a fast in Jaipur, but when nothing happened from that, I felt that now I will have to go among the public and I took out the Jan Sangharsh Yatra," he said.
Sachin Pilot said that whether the "fish is small or big", it has to be caught. He said that when he raised the matter of the paper leak, the response from the government came without any investigation that no officer was involved.
"I want to promise that I will serve people and serve Rajasthan till my last breath. I am neither going to suppress nor retreat, I will make sacrifices whatever I have to make because people are my strength," the Congress leader said.
At the end of the yatra, Sachin Pilot not only reiterated his demand before the Congress government but also gave a time-bound ultimatum and clearly said that if all three demands are not accepted by this month, then he would agitate in the entire state.
Pilot said that RPSC will have to be dissolved and a new organization will have to be formed and this will not be possible without radical changes. "If it is not fulfilled by this month, I will agitate across the state," Pilot warned.
The Congress MLAs of the Pilot camp also showed strength in the public meeting.
Many MLAs supporting Sachin Pilot also appeared on the stage in the public meeting held in Jaipur. Among them, state cabinet minister Hemaram Chowdhary, minister Rajendra Singh Gudha, MLA Ved Prakash Solanki, Mukesh Bhakar, Ramniwas Gawadia, Dipendra Singh Shekhawat, Harish Meena, Amar Jatav, Rakesh Pareek, Girraj Malinga, Suresh Modi were present in the public meeting.
Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Rajasthan later this year and the Congress party is seeking another term ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Asked about the unity in the Rajasthan Congress in view of upcoming State polls, Pilot said, "Neither do I hurl allegations at anyone nor do I have any rift with anyone on an individual level."
Pilot who has been vocal about the inaction by the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government regarding the alleged corruption during the previous BJP government in the State, said that he and the Chief Minister have to fight "unitedly" against corruption, however, Gehlot did not take steps in this regard.