Rajasthan headed for constitutional crisis, says BJP
JAIPUR : “The BJP conspiracy will not be allowed to succeed. I will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan if needed. If we have to picket at Rashtrapati Bhavan or even Prime Minister’s residence, we will give this,” Ashok Gehlot today told Congress MLAs, who raised their hands in support.
Mr Gehlot also asked his legislators to maintain solidarity and stay strong, warning them they may have to stay in the hotel for 21 days; MLAs have been sequestered at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur. Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot on Friday held a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan to press for an Assembly session.
Meanwhile, A delegation of the opposition BJP met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and discused prevailing COVID-19 and political situation in the state, BJP state president Satish Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria led the 13-member delegation.
Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia accused Ashok Gehlot and said the Congress was preventing the Governor from carrying out his constitutional duty. “There is a procedure to be followed for calling an Assembly session but the Congress resorted to theatrics,” said Poonia.
“This is no way to demand an Assembly session. You cannot gherao the Raj Bhavan,” said Gulab Chand Kataria, the Leader of Opposition. He said the cabinet cannot call an Assembly session without a reason.
“The warning that ‘8 crore people will gherao the Raj Bhavan’ given by Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state can invite punishment under Section 124 of the IPC,” BJP state president Satish Punia after party delegation met Governor.
There is no governance, those in power are lodged at a five-star hotel since weeks. People are suffering due to various issues.” The Rajasthan Congress likely to meet again Governor again requesting him to convene a session of the Assembly.
Congress workers stage protests against BJP across state A revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after approval by the Cabinet.
Ashok Gehlot government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that the chief minister can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.
The Governor on Friday asked the Ashok Gehlot government why it wanted to call an Assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already had the majority.
In his note to the state government, Governor Mishra emphasised that ‘no one is above the Constitutional dignity and no pressure politics should be resorted to.’ He also pointed out that neither had any date for convening the session been mentioned in the Cabinet note, annexed with the government’s request, nor had the Cabinet given its approval to it.
The government has neither given any reason for calling the session on such a short notice nor proposed any agenda for it, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is
The Chief Minister is confident of the numbers to win a floor test at this stage; if he does so then his government cannot be tested for the next six months. The Congress has a narrow lead over the opposition and is only one past the majority mark of 101 in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly.
Team Pilot claims the support of 30 MLAs, but so far, the evidence points to only 19. The BJP has 72. Including smaller parties and independent members, the opposition has 97 at the moment.
(Bureau Repor with Agency Inputs ).
