Ajmer, April 30 -- A group of Congress leaders in Ajmer, including the former district president, on Wednesday staged a protest against the BJP state in- charge Radha Mohan Das Agrawal over his 'baharupi' jibe at senior leader Sachin Pilot. However, the absence of key district executive leaders sparked speculations of factionalism. Several workers and former district Congress president of Ajmer, Vijai Jain, on Wednesday, gathered at Gandhi Bhawan Circle and burned an effigy of Agarwal while raising slogans and demanding an apology over the statement. The protest was led by Jain, who was also joined by prominent Pilot loyalists from the districts including former Congress candidate from Ajmer North Mahendra Singh Ralawata and former Nasirabad candidate Shiv Prakash Gurjar. However, current district Congress President Dr. Rajkumar Jaipal and several senior leaders remained absent. Former Lok Sabha candidate and Dairy Chairman Ramchandra Chaudhary, former MLA Dr. Gopal Baheti, and former Ajmer South candidate Draupadi Koli were also not seen at the event who were infromed about the protest, said party insiders. Speaking on the issue, Vijay Jain said, "We waited till the Tuesday evening expecting the official city unit to announce a protest programme, but when no action was taken, we, all the Pilot supporters decided to organise the demonstration independently. We have informed all of them and expected that they would join us. It is the responsibility of every Congress worker to protest against such henious remark against such a senior leader like Sachin Pilot." Jaipal's office did not respond to HT's requests for comment. Former MLA Dr. Gopal Baheti cited a recent eye surgery as the reason for his absence, while Ramchandra Chaudhary said he was occupied with personal work and experienced symptoms of heat exhaustion due to the prevailing extreme weather conditions in the state. However, Jaipal's office issued a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday morning, in which he urged party workers to rely on only the officially authorised information and programmes issued by the City District Congress Committee....