Privilege motion againstCM over ‘horse-trading’

Jaipur: The state BJP moved a privilege motion against chief minsiter Ashok Gehlot alleging that he had demeaned the MLAs by making statements on horse-trading during the recent Rajya Sabha polls on Friday. The BJP move on Friday has come weeks after independent MLA Sanyam Lodha filed a privilege motion against BJP state president Satish Poonia.
Leader of opposition Gulabchand Kataria, Poonia along with other MLAs held a meeting to discuss the move at BJP headquarters. The BJP motion has been accepted by assembly officials three days before the privilege motion committee is to hold its meeting on July 13.
Speaking on the breach of parliamentary privilege against the BJP party president, Kataria said the motion moved by Lodha does not have any legal merit.
“Our party president didn’t say who were those 23 MLAs being lured by the Congress during the Rajya Sabha polls in his statement, which forms the basis of the motion moved by the independent lawmaker. It was accepted by the speaker. If that falls in the definition of privilege motion then certainly what Gehlot said about BJP buying MLAs for Rs 35 crore has caused great disrespect for 200 MLAs and certainly calls for a privilege motion,” said Kataria.
Poonia said that the move was started by Congress and BJP would conclude it.
“It was politically motivated propaganda against me. The statement was made outside the assembly and doesn’t call for a motion. The honourable speaker (C P Joshi) has accepted their motion which doesn’t have any merit. In a similar manner, we have also moved a motion which has merit,” he said. BJP lawmakers Ramlal Sharma, Madan Dilwar, Nirmal Kumawat and Ashok Lahoti moved the motion in the assembly.
Speaking on the issue, transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said that the BJP move was based on distorted facts. “BJP is trying to take political mileage and deviating from the real issue of the failures of the central government in handling Covid-19. The motion doesn’t hold any water and will fall flat,” said Khachriyawas.