Soon after the Congress sacked prominent young leader Sachin Pilot from the posts of Rajasthan deputy chief minister and the party’s state unit chief, a cryptic tweet by a senior BJP leader seemed to hint at Pilot’s next move.  

BJP vice-president Baijayant Jay Panda, who is also a party spokesperson, tweeted just after Pilot’s sacking, “In aviation, every flight plan includes an alternate airport or airstrip to divert to in the event of technical problems or severe bad weather. Every experienced pilot knows this.” 

Though neither the BJP nor anyone from the Sachin Pilot camp has officially commented about any political negotiation with the BJP, news agency Press Trust of India reported quoting sources that the Rajasthan Congress leader has spoken to some leaders from the saffron party.

The Congress sacked Sachin Pilot, 42, from the posts he held in the party and the Rajasthan government this morning. A nameplate bearing his name as state party president at the Congress headquarters in Jaipur was quickly removed. The party has appointed Govind Singh Dotasra as state unit chief. Rajasthan chief minister Asholk Gehlot has also removed Pilot loyalists Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena from his cabinet.

“The truth can be harassed but not defeated,” Sachin Pilot tweeted minutes after being sacked. He has said he will address a press conference tomorrow at 10 am.  

Sachin Pilot has revolted against chief minister Gehlot, also a longtime rival within the party in the state. Pilot is largely credited with rebuilding the Congress in the state and for its win in the Rajasthan assembly elections in 2018. So there was much consternation in his camp when the 69-year-old Ashok Gehlot was named chief minister and Pilot was asked to be his deputy, apart from continuing to head the party in the state. 

In an arid stretch of few election wins for the Congress, desert state Rajasthan brought relief two years ago. The Congress won 107 of the state’s 200 assembly seats, with the BJP winning 72 and giving up power after five years of rule.  

Sachin Pilot claims he has the support of about 30 of the Congress’ 107 MLAs; if true, losing them will plunge Ashok Gehlot’s government into a minority, with the majority mark at 101 assembly seats. The chief minister, in a show of strength, gathered about a 100 MLAs at his residence on Saturday and invited the media to prove his point. Pilot was invited too, but he decided to give it a pass and instead landed in Delhi on Saturday to meet top Congress leaders.

On Sunday, the Congress sent another request to Sachin Pilot, saying that “all doors were open, come and talk” and asked him to attend another meeting chaired by Chief Minister Gehlot on Monday, as a precursor to talks with the central party leadership in an attempt to resolve the situation. Sachin Pilot bunked again, sending a clear message that he wants no compromise with Team Gehlot.

The Sachin Pilot camp has asked for a floor test to “expose” Ashok Gehlot’s claims on numbers. “A floor test should be conducted in the assembly. This will expose the claim that the Ashok Gehlot government has the support of 109 MLAs,” Meena said, asserting that the Pilot camp is not after posts but “taking a stand to protect our dignity and self-respect.”

 BJP’s Gulab Chand Kataria, Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, also demanded for the floor test. “Prove majority in a floor test first and then go for a cabinet reshuffle. The result of the political fight is out,” he said.

The Congress has blamed the BJP for its crisis in Rajasthan. “There is nothing in Sachin Pilot’s hands, it is the BJP which is running the show. BJP has arranged that resort and they are managing everything. The same team which worked in Madhya Pradesh is at work here,” said Gehlot, was quoted by ANI as saying. He was referring to the Sachin Pilot’s stay at a luxury hotel near Delhi along with the MLAs backing him, similar to what happened in Madhya Pradesh.