Gehlot: Could have proved majority even without the 19 rebel MLAs
NEW DELHI/ JAIPUR: In a big twist in the Rajasthan Congress crisis, the BJP today announced that it would move a no-confidence motion against the Ashok Gehlot government in the special assembly session starting tomorrow. Soon after, the ruling Congress said it would go for a trust vote to prove its majority in the house.
The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government will move a confidence motion in the Assembly during the session beginning Friday, a party leader said. This was announced Thursday at the Congress Legislature Party meeting chaired by Gehlot. Just hours earlier, the opposition BJP said it will move a no-confidence motion during the session.
If the Chief Minister moves a Confidence Motion, it will supersede the no-confidence motion moved by any other member, according to the rules. Gehlot had planned a trust vote for days, even when he had a wafer-thin majority of 102, just one more than the majority mark in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly. Winning the vote will give him a six-month reprieve.
With the return of Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion had briefly endangered the Congress government, Mr Gehlot has the support of 125 MLAs. The BJP has 72 MLAs and the support of three more, hardly enough to challenge Mr Gehlot on the floor of the house. The party does not expect any change of heart from Team Pilot either.
We could have proved the majority even without these 19 MLAs (Sachin Pilot & 18 MLAs who were supporting him) but it would not have given us happiness. We will bring Vote of Confidence.
Sources say the BJP’s move is more of a strategy to force a discussion in the assembly to corner the Gehlot government on various issues. Till now, the BJP had always distanced itself from the Congress crisis and had denied that it would move a no-confidence motion against the state government.
A day ahead of the start of Rajasthan assembly session, Congress today said that it stands united to take on the BJP which is planning to bring a no-confidence motion against the Ashok Gehlot government. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “Now the Congress family is united, we will fight against BJP’s bad politics. Tomorrow in Vidhan Sabha, Congress party will stand united.”
The Congress has also revoked the suspension of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh, who were suspended from the party’s primary membership last month over their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state.
A month after Sachin Pilot’s rebellion against the Congress plunged the Ashok Gehlot government in a crisis, the Rajasthan Chief Minister said resentment among the party MLAs is “natural”. Following the return of dissident legislators to the party-fold, CM Ashok Gehlot asked them to forgive, forget and move on.
(Bureau Report with Agency Inputs).
