A political storm is brewing in Rajasthan Congress again after state Legislative Assembly’s Chief Whip Dr. Mahesh Joshi’s resignation, which was accepted by the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot last night.

Joshi, who holds the portfolio of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), had tendered his resignation from the Chief Whip’s post on February 2, before the beginning of the ongoing budget session. The resignation was accepted by the chief minister yesterday before the session adjourned till February 28 at 11 am.

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The Congress party, which is aiming for ‘repeat’ in the forthcoming assembly elections in December 2023, could face disillusionment of voters. This is what the Opposition BJP is predicting.

The question remains whether Joshi resigned as at the instance of the Congress High Command over the September 25, 2022 incident where 91 MLAs had tendered their resignations to the Assembly Speaker after boycotting a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting in the wake of the tussle between Gehlot and his former deputy CM Sachin Pilot over chief ministership.

When asked about the reason of Chief Whip’s resignation by the media, the Congress’ state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who observed Mahashivratri pooja with Gehlot family at latter’s residence at Circuit House here, he said, “Ye karyavahi ka hai aur ek aadmi do pad ka bhi hai mamla. (One person, one post and the action for the September 25 incident are behind Joshi’s resignation)”.

On being asked if there will be any more action against to three Rajasthan MLAs, Shanti Dhariwal (UDH Minister) and Dharmendra Rathore (RTDC Chairman) on the Congress high command’s showcause notices, Randhawa said, “Aur bhi karenge” (More action be taken)”. However, all the three MLAs have responded to their showcause notices to the party high command before the election of party president.

“The entire matter belonged to the period before my appointment as in-charge, in such a situation whatever instructions the high command gives me, I will take the same action. I will not send any report in this matter, if the high command asks me to take any action, I will do so with immediate effect. I have done what the high command asked me to do,” he said.

When asked if he would like to sit with the estranged Pilot, Randhawa took a jibe at the Media. “I do sit with him. Many times I go along with him. Pilot is not annoyed, it is the media, especially the TV news channels’ narajgi (annoyance). Pilot has no resentment”.

After Randhawa’s statement, Joshi fueled political controversy which almost perished after RaGa’s Bharat Jodo Yatra by raising the demand for action against the leaders of the Pilot camp.

Joshi told the media, ” I am not a person who works under pressure. I resigned before the assembly session and it was accepted by the party high command, the chief minister. If Randhawa considered it as a part of the action, I am happy that the action has also been done and my wish has also been fulfilled. I am waiting for action to be taken against those who tried to weaken the party and the government so that the message of equality goes to all the party workers”.

“Had the high command decided at that very moment of the 25th September, I would have then and there resigned. If the high command wants me even further than this, I will be happy to follow their orders. Whatever has been given to me belongs to the party. I will be happy to obey the orders of the high command. All I have to say is that the rest of the action should also be taken soon”, Joshi further demanded.

Recently at a media interaction in Delhi, Pilot has revived the political differences with Gehlot by putting the party leadership in the dock for an ‘inordinate delay’ in taking action against those who defied the CLP meeting. Pilot has urged the AICC Disciplinary Committee headed by A K Antony, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the party leadership to explain why there has been such a long delay in a decision on the matter.

Reacting sharply to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s remarks against him on a TV news channel, Sachin Pilot, young brigade Congress leader, on Thursday hit back at CM saying, “No person shall be so insecure, and if we do not remain united then how will we win next assembly polls”.

In November 2022, in a special TV news channel (NDTV) interview, Gehlot had blasted Pilot calling him ‘gaddar’ (traitor) and said it was ‘out of question’ that the young leader could replace him in the future. “Pilot cannot replace me as he had revolted against the party in 2020 and tried to topple his government. The MLAs will never accept a person who has revolted against the party and the government.  I have proof that Rs 10 crore each were distributed to the MLAs, and we were staying in a resort for 34 days”, Gehlot jibed at Pilot.

In his reply to Gehlot, former PCC President Pilot reacted on the very moment last year, “No person shall be so insecure, and if we do not remain united then how will we win the next assembly polls.  Even before today, Gehlot ji spoke many things about me, rejected me and called me +nakkara and Nikkama (worthless).  I want to say that there is no need to make such statements. It is inappropriate for senior leaders to say such things, it is not right to make allegations. No person should be so insecure, if we don’t remain united then how will we win. There is a need to strengthen the hand of Rahul-Kharge-Priyanka by staying united”.