New Delhi:

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, burying the hatchet with party rival Ashok Gehlot, says he will support his senior colleague’s son Vaibav “100 per cent” (Vaibhav), who is contesting in the Lok Sabha polls from Jallore.

In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency’s headquarters, the Congress general secretary said the party had won the 2004 elections despite the NDA’s ‘India Shining’ campaign and the party was likely to win the polls again.

“Given the current situation, given the riots among the majority of the people, there is a high chance of a repeat of 2004. What you don’t see in the media is the real sentiment on the ground. This Humla politics and the (BJP) Overconfidence has its limits,” Mr Pilot said earlier this week.

Asked how he could move past his past differences with Mr Gehlot and the “nikamma-nakara” taunts he received from the former Rajasthan chief minister in 2020, Mr Pilot said: “I think with the same There was no benefit in answering in a way and I refused to be provoked, chose dignity and grace over name-calling and, more importantly, decided to show a big heart and move on.” It was better for the party, he said, Better for his state and certainly better for him.

“I can proudly say that I have never said anything unbecoming of a public figure, and I have never said any derogatory language because the values ​​ingrained in me since childhood taught me to respect my elders no matter what. No matter what the situation is, I have always insisted on that,” Mr. Pilot said.

Sachin Pilot recalls a meeting in Delhi last year when he sat with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Indian Chamber of Commerce President Rahul Gandhi together.

“I was asked to forgive, forget and move on and that’s exactly what I did and it was the need of the hour for the party and the country.” “I will support (campaigning for Vaibhav Gehlot) 100 per cent,” Mr Pilot said in reply to a question said.

“Last time (in 2019 polls), when I was Congress president in Rajasthan, I pushed for his (Vaibhav Gehlot) ticket to be finalized from Delhi and I fought for his nomination. That time he Didn’t win the polls, but I campaigned for him.

This time he is fighting from another seat, Jalore. I will definitely run for him this time too. said Mr. Pilot. On why he and Ashok Gehlot, the two big figures of the Congress party in Rajasthan, did not contest the elections, Mr. Pilot said that this decision and not sending state unit chief Go The decision of Vinder Singh to take charge of Dotasra was taken by the CEC (Central Election Commission) keeping in mind the role of everyone in the elections.

“The final decision on candidate selection is taken by the Central Election Commission. The party takes this decision. I am responsible for Chhattisgarh… During the election campaign, the leadership assigned different responsibilities to various leaders ,”He said.

He asserted that the best candidates who could win have been sent to Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“The party decides what role people play. The AICC decides these are the best candidates. I am responsible for all our candidates. It sometimes appears in the media that he or she belongs to this faction or that faction, but that is not the case.” Absolutely. Every Congress candidate is our candidate and we have to work in a focused manner to ensure they win,” Mr. Pilot said.

He pointed out that the Congress is yet to open its account in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls or the previous Rajasthan polls, hence the challenge facing the party.

Sachin Pilot said the feedback he has received is that the Congress will do “very well” in Rajasthan this time because the people are “fed up and want change”.

“People can’t express their opinions very freely now, but on polling day, they will vote for Congress,” he said.

The Congress secretary-general said that lack of employment opportunities and the “agrarian crisis” will be key factors affecting the polls, as will the government’s “blatant” behavior, subversion of norms and repeated overstepping of boundaries in many cases. .

When asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim that he is “unstoppable”, Pilot said no one is “unstoppable” and again cited the 2004 example.

“In 2004, when Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee campaigned on ‘India Tejas’, we did not announce the Prime Minister’s face etc. This time we did not do that as the idea was to be in front of the people There are two options – India or NDA “The India Group has decided that after ensuring that the people are empowered in the elections, we will decide who will get what positions and positions,” he said.

Sachin Pilot said the current Lok Sabha polls are an “open election” and “anything can happen”.

“I am confident that the Indian group partners will get the required numbers to form the government,” he asserted.

Asked if Congress is like a company where one can become the CEO but never the owner and how this affects young politicians like him, Mr Pilot said if all leaders If they all feel that they are not equal stakeholders in the organization, they will not give their all to the organization. Already working so tirelessly.

Regarding the resignation of several young leaders from the party, he said: “You have to ask them the reasons for quitting the party. Some people were forced to quit the party, and some were forced to quit the party under pressure or inducement. The reasons chosen by each person are different. Same.” Change the ideology and go down a different path. ” Mr. Pilot said those who quit the party should answer why they took this step.

Whether their decision is right or wrong, time will tell and voters will tell, he said.

“I love the work I do. In Congress, it’s a misnomer to say there’s a glass ceiling, there’s no limit to what a party like ours can achieve… In an organization, as long as you’re willing to be honest about what you’ve taken on To work and deliver the desired results, I don’t think there is any height that is too high to climb,” Mr. Pilot asserted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)