Young Congress leader and former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot began his fast against the corruption in the previous Vasundhara government here after paying floral tribute at Mahatma Gandhi and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule portraits at Shaheed Smarak at 11 am here.

Wearing a white shirt and pajama with a scarf around his neck, Pilot sat on a white cushion on a platform erected for the special occasion. The Congress leader, who is keeping ‘maun vrat’ (silence) as well, came to the venue escorted by hundreds of party workers and supporters.

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After leaving his residence in Civil Lines, he had a stopover at a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and Jyoti Rao Phule on Sahakar Marga to pay his homage and mark Phule Jayanti.

A poster of Mahatma Gandhi was placed right behind his seat with a caption: Vasundhara Sarkar Mein Huai Bhrashtachar ke virudh ‘Anshan’ (Fast against corruption taken place during the Vasundhara Raje rule).

To counter Pilot’s fast, last night Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced a holiday today to mark the birth anniversary of Phule Rao. Security has been beefed up around the Shaheed Samarak Park and at important entry points as a preventive measure to ward off any untoward incident on the occasion, a senior officer of Jaipur Police Commissioner told SNS when contacted.

To draw the public attention, the Gehlot government issued a full-page colour advertisement to newspapers with a caption, “Mahangai, Rahat and Camp”. The advertisement will appear in all state newspapers from April 24 onwards.

It is pertinent to mention here that two days ago, Pilot blamed the party government of his own party and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for not initiating a single probe against the previous Raje-led BJP government in any of the number of corruption cases. He announced the one-day token fasting from 11 am to 5 pm to draw the public’s attention to the issue.

“Despite my letters to CM Gehlot, our Congress Government did not take any action on the corruption cases under former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in the last four and half years. This might lead people to draw the inference that the ruling party is hand in gloves with the BJP,” Pilot had told a presser.

Before coming to power in 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had promised an inquiry to the people of the state into the corruption cases reported during the previous BJP rule, Pilot alleged, adding, “Six-seven months left for the next assembly elections which are due in December. Opponents will get an opportunity to spread confusion among the public that there is some ‘milibhagat’ (complicity) between the previous CM and the incumbent Congress CM.”