Old Wounds and Fresh Theories: Why Ashok Gehlot is Still Thinking About the 2022 Rajasthan Crisis

The former Rajasthan chief minister has broken his silence on his tumultuous relationship with Sachin Pilot, labeling the 2022 leadership upheaval a calculated political conspiracy.

Ashok Gehlot’s latest comments in Jaipur serve as a blunt reminder that in the corridors of power, political amnesia is a rare commodity. The veteran Congress leader has revived his long-standing grievances with Sachin Pilot, focusing specifically on a perceived lack of gratitude regarding the latter’s early ministerial ascent. According to Gehlot, he played a pivotal role in ensuring Pilot became a Union minister, yet that assistance was never acknowledged. For Gehlot, this silence was not merely a lapse in etiquette; it was a fundamental breach of political loyalty that set the stage for years of friction.

The Weight of Unspoken Favors

The core of the frustration, as Gehlot describes it, is deeply personal. He claims Pilot reached out to him directly for support during his rise to central office, a request Gehlot says he honored by lobbying on his behalf. "He knows I helped him," Gehlot told the press, expressing a lingering hurt that Pilot never voiced this support to his peers. This sentiment suggests that for the veteran, politics in Rajasthan has always been a game governed by unspoken codes of reciprocation—codes he believes Pilot chose to ignore.

Anatomy of a Conspiracy

Beyond the personal score-settling, Gehlot has reframed the chaotic events of September 2022. During that period, the Congress party faced a high-stakes leadership transition, with Gehlot positioned to become the national president. As the party prepared for the handover, a sudden political storm erupted in Rajasthan, preventing the transition and keeping Gehlot in the state capital. He now characterizes this moment as a "big conspiracy" designed to tarnish his reputation and force a narrative that he was desperately clinging to his chief ministerial chair.

Why it Matters

The persistence of these narratives suggests that the internal divisions within the Rajasthan unit of the Congress party are far from settled. By publicly airing these grievances, Gehlot is signaling that the events of 2022 remain a source of significant political damage, both to his public image and the party's stability. While he has recently urged his supporters on social media to stop targeting Pilot—claiming that the vitriol has gone too far—his choice to simultaneously revisit the "conspiracy" angle indicates a desire to firmly set the record straight on his own terms. For the party high command, this ongoing friction highlights a recurring challenge: balancing the ambitions of a veteran stalwart against the aspirations of a younger, vocal rival.