Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a rare gesture extended his support to his party rival Sachin Pilot over BJP's allegation that his father Rajesh Pilot bombed Mizoram as an Indian Air Force pilot. The CM on Wednesday accused the saffron party of insulting IAF. In a post on X, Gehlot said, "Congress leader Shri Rajesh Pilot was a brave pilot of the Indian Air Force. By insulting him, the BJP is insulting the sacrifice of the Indian Air Force. The whole country should condemn this."
Earlier, the BJP IT department head Amit Malviya had claimed that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were flying the Indian Air Force planes that bombed Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, on March 5, 1966.
Pilot hits back at Malviya
On Tuesday, Sachin Pilot hit out at Malviya on X, saying the facts and dates are wrong as his father was commissioned into the force in October that year. He also shared the certificate according to which Rajesh Pilot was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on October 29, 1966.
Why is Gehlot's post significant?
The relationship between two senior Congress leaders - Pilot and Gehlot - has not been on good terms since 2019, the year when Pilot opened a front against his own government in Rajasthan. Since his revolt against the Gehlot government, on several occasions, the duo attacked each other. Very recently in April, Pilot observed a silent sit-in protest against the Gehlot government demanding action against officials involved in corruption during the BJP government. However, the party high command stepped in to end the stalemate in the wake of the upcoming assembly election in the state. The Rajasthan election is due this year. Ahead of the election, Gehlot's move to support Pilot is a good sign for Congress in Rajasthan.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read- What Sachin Pilot said on Amit Malviya's claim of 'Rajesh Pilot bombed Mizoram'
