Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 27 (ANI): Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government is in majority and wants to convene State Assembly session to discuss pertinent issues including COVID-19, said Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande on Monday.
“Rajasthan Government led by Ashok Gehlot is in majority and wants to convene State Assembly session. We want to discuss important matters including COVID-19 with the opposition in the Assembly,” Pande told reporters here.
Earlier, a senior MLA and one of the staunch supporters of Sachin Pilot, Hemaram Choudhary, has claimed that 10-15 legislators of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot camp are in contact with them. He added that they will switch sides once they are set free.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said that Raj Bhavan never had an intention “not to call” the assembly session and has asked the Ashok Gehlot government to deliberate on three points including 21-day notice period for convening session and maintaining social distancing norms.
CM Gehlot on Saturday said the Congress party will approach the President and, if required, will also stage a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence in connection with the political situation in Rajasthan.
He had earlier said alleged that the Governor was not calling the Assembly session due to “pressure from the top”.
Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.
The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.
‘All six of us are part of Congress now’: Rajasthan MLA Lakhan Singh
A day after the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) issued a whip asking six of its MLAs to vote against the Congress in case of a ‘No-Confidence Motion’ in the Rajasthan Assembly, Lakhan Singh, hit back saying he and the five others had already joined the Congress.
“We six MLAs have already joined the Congress. BSP remembered us after nine months. They have issued this whip, after a message from the BJP. On this basis they are going to court”, said Karauli MLA Lakhan Singh.
Speaking further, he added, “We got information from the media, that they sent us notices, but we didn’t get it yet. We are with Congress, even in case of any eventuality.”
On Sunday, the BSP issued a whip to six MLAs, asking them to vote against Congress in case of a No-Confidence Motion or any proceedings to be held during the Rajasthan Assembly session.
National General Secretary of BSP Satish Chandra Mishra, while speaking to ANI said, “Notices have been issued to the six MLAs separately as well as collectively, pointing out that since BSP is a National Party, there cannot be any merger at the state level at the instance of six MLAs unless there is a merger of BSP at the national level. If they violate it, they will be disqualified.
Notices have been issued to all six MLAs- – R Gudha, Lakhan Singh, Deep Chand, JS Awana, Sandeep Kumar and Wajib Ali, who are elected to the Rajasthan Assembly.”
Rajya MP and Congress leader Anand Sharma on Monday alleged that there is a conspiracy to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan using “unconstitutional” methods.
“Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot has the proper mandate and proven majority. There is a conspiracy to destabilize the government and topple it by using extra-constitutional and unconstitutional means. The Governor is bound by provisions of the Constitution. Rajasthan Governor must respect his own oath of office and the Constitution,” Sharma told ANI.
“Whether it is in Centre or states, the President will be bound by the decision of the Union Cabinet to convene the Parliament without putting any condition or asking any questions. It has never happened, similarly, the Governor is bound,” he said.
He said that it is not the domain of the Governor about matters discussed in the state Assembly.
The Congress MP said that CM Gehlot and the state government are responsible for maintaining social distancing.
“It is for the Secretariat of the Rajasthan legislative to make provisions for meeting all protocols before the session is held,” he said.
His remarks came after Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said that Raj Bhavan never had an intention “not to call” the Assembly session and asked the Ashok Gehlot government to deliberate on three points including the 21-day notice period for convening session and maintaining social distancing norms.
Rajasthan Governor stalling request to convene assembly session: Chidambaram
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra is stalling the valid request of the council of ministers to convene a session of the legislative assembly, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram alleged on Monday.
Chidambaram also said governors appointed by the BJP had earlier too “acted in gross violation of the Constitution in Arunachal Pradesh (2016), Uttarakhand (2016) and Karnataka (2019).”
“The Governor of Rajasthan has stalled — and continues to stall — a perfectly valid request of the council of ministers of Rajasthan to convene a session of the legislative assembly. It is settled law that the governor shall act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers. The Governor has no discretion — let me repeat, no discretion at all — in the matter. The questions that the Governor had raised to stall the request were irrelevant and beyond his authority,” Chidambaram said in a statement.
“His current stand that the law gives him a ‘discretion’ to summon the Assembly or not is a complete distortion of the law declared by the courts,” he added.
The Rajya Sabha MP further said that his party was “astonished and anguished by the attitude of the Governor” and hoped that he “will obey the law — and only the law” and immediately grant the request of the council of ministers and summon a session of the legislative assembly.”
A Raj Bhavan release also referred to certain other conditions to be followed if Gehlot government, which is facing a crisis due to differences in the state Congress, wants to seek a trust vote.
The Raj Bhavan said a proposal was received from the state government to convene Assembly session from July 31 and the Governor has said that the session should be called according to the constitutional provisions.
The release said that the statements from the state government make it clear that it wants to bring a trust vote but there is no mention of it in the proposal sent for convening the session.
It also said that if the state government wants to bring trust vote, there can be a basis to call the session at a short notice.
The Raj Bhavan said as conditions at present were extraordinary, the state government has been asked to give a letter again after acting on three issues.
Earlier, Rajasthan Governor’s Secretariat had said the state government had presented a proposal to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23.
It had said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called according to the normal procedures.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Congress party will approach the President and, if required, will also stage a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence in connection with the political situation in Rajasthan.
He had earlier said alleged that the Governor was not calling the Assembly session due to “pressure from the top”.
Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.
The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.(ANI)
(ANI)
