All eyes on Sachin Pilot as he marks father’s death anniversary today | India News – Times of India

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JAIPUR: Sachin Pilot is slated to mark father Rajesh Pilot’s death anniversary on Saturday but a political haze hangs over the event on family turf Dausa amid his silence on lingering speculation that he could break away from Congress and form a new party ahead of the Rajasthan elections due later this year.
The whispers come against the backdrop of Pilot’s long-running feud with chief minister Ashok Gehlot and reports that he remains unhappy despite a May 29 truce brought about by the high command as none of his demands were apparently accepted.
Senior Congress leaders have been trying hard to quell the exit talk. Pilot himself has kept a distance from the media in the past few days, heightening the suspense about his next move.
Dausa MLA and state minister Murarilal Meena, a Pilot loyalist, rebuffed speculation and claimed “there is nothing special this year”. “Every year, a programme is held on the death anniversary of Rajesh Pilot. About 3000 to 4000 people attend. This time, a statue of Rajesh Pilot will be installed at a nearby Gurjar hostel. It was ready for the last two years,” Meena said.
Meena sought to play down perceptions about the event being decisive. “We have printed only 500 invitation cards. There is no show of strength,’’ the MLA said.
or anything like that. We have not done any maths on how many people come, but there is tremendous respect for Pilot Sahib,” the MLA said. Those were tantalising last few words as the former deputy CM keeps all his cards close to his chest.
The uneasiness has been lingering. In April, Pilot observed a day’s fast against his own party’s government seeking an inquiry into corruption charges against former BJP CM Vasundhara Raje. The protest came in the run-up to the Karnataka polls, showing Congress as a divided house ahead of a key state poll.
In May, Pilot set out a four day Jan Jagaran yatra on paper leaks in recruitment exams. At the culmination of the yatra in Jaipur, he put forward three demands — an inquiry against Raje, revamping of the state service commission, and compensation for candidates affected by the leaks. He set a May 31 deadline and warned of a larger wide agitation against the Gehlot government.
With none of his demands met so far, speculation has swirled whether Pilot will choose to break off on his father’s death anniversary.





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