Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a protest in Raj Bhawan on Friday.
Jaipur:
Bombed by Congress for apparently aiding the revolt of former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot against government Ashok Gehlot by blocking an assembly session, Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra said on Friday that ‘he would only respect the constitution.
Claiming that Mr. Gehlot had given no “justification” or “agenda” to convene the session in such a short time, the governor said he needed the state government’s response on a few points. before making an announcement.
As part of the normal process, 21 days’ notice is required for the session to be convened, Mishra said in a statement.
“The date by which the session of the assembly is to be called is not mentioned in the cabinet note and no approval has been given by the cabinet for it,” he said.
The statement also said that the state government should guarantee the freedom and free movement of all MPs.
He asked the government to take note of the COVID-19 crisis and suggest how the session should behave given the current situation.
The statement comes as Congress MPs loyal to Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a five-hour sit-in at the house of Governor Raj Bhawan to lobby for an assembly session in a dramatic show of force hours after the pilot camp secured protection for now from disqualification from home.
Congress said it ended the protest following assurances from the governor that he would comply with article 174 of the constitution, after obtaining clarifications from the chief minister.
Ashok Gehlot, 69, is pushing for a test of strength after Sachin Pilot and other congressional rebels threatening his government were granted a reprieve from the Rajasthan High Court on Friday.
There can be no action at this time on the disqualification notices sent to the rebels last week, the court said. This means that the President cannot take any action against the rebels until the broader constitutional question of his powers is resolved. This issue will be considered by the Supreme Court on Monday.
Despite the legal setbacks, Mr Gehlot believes he has the numbers to hold on to power if he faces a vote of confidence now. If he wins, there can be no vote for the next six months.
The rules state that the rebels must follow the whip of the party in the assembly or else be disqualified. Despite the court-ordered status quo, rebels can be disqualified if they vote against their own party. But their vote will always count.
Congress has a small lead over the opposition and has only passed the majority bar of 101 in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly. Team Pilot claims the support of 30 MPs, but so far the evidence shows only 19. The BJP has 72. Including small parties and independent MPs, the opposition has 97 so far.
Mr Gehlot said he expected some of the dissident MPs to return to the fold.
If Team Pilot is disqualified, it will help the Chief Minister by lowering the majority score. But if they win the case to vote as congressmen, they can put the government at risk.
Former Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led a battery of party leaders who have put the governor in the crosshairs for failing to call an assembly session.
“The country is governed according to the law and the constitution. Governments are formed and run on the basis of the people’s mandate. The BJP’s plot to overthrow the government of Rajasthan is clear. This is an insult to 8 million people of Rajasthan. The governor must convene the general assembly. So that the truth passes before the country “, tweeted Mr. Gandhi in Hindi.
