Respect, restraint essential in public life, says Pilot days after Gehlot’s barb on 2020 tumult

File

| Photo Credit: PTI

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) said restraint, contentment and showing respect to others were essential in public life, while affirming that he had “no personal feud” with anyone. Mr. Pilot’s remarks came three days after former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot targeted him over the 2020 political crisis in Rajasthan.“I deeply respect every individual working in politics. There may be differences of opinion, but there is no scope for ill will… If you look someone straight in the eye, you can tell whether they are speaking the truth. I have always been able to do that,” he said without naming Mr. Gehlot.Mr. Pilot was addressing a Kisan Sammelan at Sakarghata village in Karauli district after unveiling a statue of his father and former Union Minister, the late Rajesh Pilot.He said discipline and restraint were essential in politics and in life, adding that if someone works hard with a commitment to the party’s ideology, the efforts never go to waste. “You all know that I speak very carefully. Once a word is uttered, it cannot be taken back… It is important to stand by the truth,” Mr. Pilot said, without commenting on Mr. Gehlot’s claim that the Congress MLAs, who boycotted a Legislature Party meeting in September 2022, were not willing to accept him [Mr. Pilot] as the new Chief Minister.The Congress leader condemned the cancellation of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination for the Rajya Sabha poll in Madhya Pradesh, terming it an injustice against the democratic process. Published - June 11, 2026 05:50 am IST