Congress could have won Rajasthan polls with little more effort: Sachin Pilot
New Delhi, Feb 6: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said his party could have won the Rajasthan Assembly polls if they had made some more efforts, adding that differences between him and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot had been ironed out and they did not impact the poll results.
Speaking at the Lokmat National Conclave here, Pilot said the Congress gave a good fight in Rajasthan. However, he regretted that they did not win.
"I felt in Rajasthan we had a very good chance. We made a lot of effort. But if we would have done a bit more, like changed the tickets... 17-18 out of 25 sitting ministers lost the election. If we would have picked different candidates, perhaps the performance would have been better," he said.
Pilot, who was the deputy chief minister in Rajasthan and was removed from the post after a fallout with Gehlot, said he and the former chief minister have discussed the issues that were there, and they did not affect the election.
Asked if Gehlot needs to be changed as a face for the next election, he said, "Next election is five years away".
He also said the party may have failed to take care of its workers.
"I felt we needed some course correction. If we have taken a stand on an issue while in the opposition, can I change it after winning?... Our party workers worked hard for five years, which made the party win... If we would have given them more respect , a 'stakeholdership'... It's the energy of a worker that makes a party win," he said.
Asked about Congress leaders having not attended the Ram temple consecration, he said religion and practising religion is a personal choice.
"This is a religious country. Everyone should be proud of practising their religion. But getting political gains out of it is wrong... State must be removed from religion," he said.
"The Ram temple was constructed after a Supreme Court decision. Everyone is happy that a Ram temple was made... But who will invite people, how many will be invited, who decides that? Are we not Ram bhakts? I did not get an invitation," he said.
"I can worship how I want and when I want. You cannot mandate it. It is a personal decision... Ram is everywhere," he said, adding that there is no "discomfort" in the Congress over the Ram temple, adding that the Constitution is the "biggest scripture".
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on dynastic politics in Congress, he said, the PM is "obsessed" with Congress.
"It was his last speech of the present Lok Sabha. We were hoping that he will give a message to the world. Unfortunately it was about the Congress and not women and youth," he said.
"The BJP should introspect how many MLAs and MPs they have whose parents are in politics... The BJP and the PM have no issues. They're not talking about issues. They only want to do character assassination of the Congress," he said.
He also said the Congress has a democratic election to choose its president as in the case of Mallikarjun Kharge. However, he questioned whether the BJP held an election to elect JP Nadda as its president.
"No one from the Gandhi family has been a CM or a PM for the last 30 years," he added.
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Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
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However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
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