'Sometimes We Need to be Tolerant': As Team Pilot Returns, Gehlot Says 'Natural' for Some MLAs to be Upset

After the Congress declared the political turmoil in Rajasthan a "closed chapter" following former party chief Rahul Gandhi's intervention, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the fight to save democracy will continue.

"All our MLAs stayed together for such a long time. This is a victory of the people of Rajasthan. It is our duty to serve the people of the state," said Gehlot who had struggled to keep intact the numbers of his government in the state, with his MLAs huddled in hotels in Jaipur and later in Jaisalmer.

The political crisis in Rajasthan Congress ended on Monday after a meeting of Pilot with Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. The rebel MLAs later met top Congress leaders and were assured that their grievances would be redressed in a time-bound manner. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also announced the formation of a three-member committee to hear the grievances of rebel leaders.

Meanwhile, Gehlot said it was "natural" for the MLAs to be upset. "The manner in which this episode occurred and the way in which they stayed for a month, it was natural," he said.

Gehlot said he had explained to the MLAs that sometimes one needed to be tolerant to "serve the nation, state, people and save the democracy".

"We will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state," he said.

Pilot on Tuesday said he has not demanded any post from the party but wants no vendetta politics against the MLAs who stood by him.

Pilot said this as he returned to Jaipur nearly a month after the rebellion against Gehlot. The former state Congress chief also hoped that the three-member committee constituted by the party high command to look into the issues will start its work soon.

About the meeting, Pilot told reporters, "I did not ask for any position from the party. I told the party not to act against our MLAs in a spirit of malice. There should not be vendetta politics against them and this has been ensured. Yesterday, Priyanka Gandhi said we are members of a family."

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