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Rajasthan Crisis LIVE Updates: CM Ashok Gehlot to Address Media Today as Sachin Pilot Drags Congress to Court

News18.com | July 17, 2020, 8:24 AM IST

Event Highlights

CM Gehlot in Exclusive Interview
'Doors Still Open for Pilot': Cong Sources
'Autopilot Vs Fighter Pilot'
Hanuman Banwale Speaks Out
RLP Accuses Vasundhara Raje
3 Clips Released by Congress
When Were the Notices Sent?
Hearing at 1 pm
Meanwhile Pilot Has Moved HC
However, Bhanwarlal Sharma Denied It
Bhanwarlal Accused of Wanting to Topple Govt
Randeep Singh Surjewala to Also Speak
CM Gehlot to Brief Media Today

Rajasthan Crisis LIVE Updates: As the political slugfest in Rajasthan reaches the doors of the high court, chief minister Ashok Gehlot will address the media at 9am followed by his party colleague and senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala’s comment on the crisis in the state triggered by the rebellion of sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. Pilot, who boasts of 18 MLAs in his camp, yesterday moved the high court, challenging notices from the Rajasthan Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state assembly. The matter is scheduled to be heard before a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court today.

Their petition first came up before the court of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma at about 3pm yesterday but the dissidents' advocate Harish Salve sought time to file a fresh plea. At 5pm, the dissident camp submitted an amended petition and the court referred it Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty, for the appointment of a two-judge bench. Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi's counsel said the matter will be heard at about 7.30pm, but the bench did not assemble then. The hearing was then put off to Friday, the counsel said. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is also a Congress leader, is representing the Speaker's office. Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, who have represented the BJP-led government at the Centre in the past, are the lawyers for the Pilot camp. Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi, who had written to the Speaker seeking the MLAs' disqualification, also approached the court, asking to be heard before it passes any order. The 19 MLAs were sent notices by the assembly secretariat on Tuesday and allowed up to Friday to give their replies. The notices said Speaker CP Joshi will take up the matter at 1pm on Friday. The notices were served after the ruling party complained to the Speaker that the MLAs had defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings, on Monday and Tuesday.

Jul 17, 2020 8:24 am (IST)

CM Gehlot in Exclusive Interview | Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, in an exclusive interview to News18, said - "I have not been speaking to Sachin Pilot for the last year and a half as he has been conspiring against my government ever since we were elected. I have got proof of how they indulged in horse trading during the Rajya Sabha polls and they are even trying to do the same now."

Jul 17, 2020 8:10 am (IST)

'Doors Still Open for Pilot': Congress Sources | Even as a section of leaders within the Congress feels that Sachin Pilot has "gone too far", especially after he took the party to court over the disqualification issue, sources on Thursday said the top party leadership is still keeping the "doors open" for the rebel leader, and has also asked Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot to not make critical comments against his former deputy.

Jul 17, 2020 8:01 am (IST)

Amid Raj Crisis, 32 Chhattisgarh Congress Leaders Get Key Posts | The Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Thursday appointed 32 party leaders, including four MLAs and some former lawmakers, to top positions of various boards, corporations and commissions in the state. The development, which comes amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, is being viewed by the opposition BJP as an effort to pacify MLAs.

Jul 17, 2020 7:56 am (IST)

READ | Sachin Pilot Should Have Persevered for Some Time, Says Congress's Veerappa Moily

Moily, in an interview to CNN-News18, denied that the party had neglected Sachin Pilot.

Jul 17, 2020 7:46 am (IST)

'Autopilot Vs Fighter Pilot' | Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday described the power tussle going on between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot as a fight between "autopilot" and a "fighter pilot".

Jul 17, 2020 7:42 am (IST)

Hanuman Banwale Speaks Out | "Raje (Vasundhara) is also making a strong effort to save the minority government, she has also made calls to many Congress MLAs about this," Beniwal said on Twitter, tagging BJP, party president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah.

पूर्व सीएम वसुन्धरा राजे @ashokgehlot51 की अल्पमत वाली सरकार को बचाने का पुरजोर प्रयास कर रही है,राजे द्वारा कोंग्रेस के कई विधायको को इस बारे में फोन भी किए गए !#गहलोत_वसुंधरा_गठजोड @AmitShah @AmitShahOffice @JPNadda @BJP4India @BJP4Rajasthan @RLPINDIAorg
— HANUMAN BENIWAL (@hanumanbeniwal) July 16, 2020

Jul 17, 2020 7:38 am (IST)

RLP Accuses Vasundhara Raje | Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) leader Hanuman Beniwal on Thursday accused former Rajasthan chief minister and veteran BJP leader Vasundhara Raje of "trying to save the minority Ashok Gehlot-led government" in the state.

Jul 17, 2020 7:35 am (IST)

3 Clips Released by Congress | Amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, the Congress on Thursday released three audio clips purporting to be of "horse-trading" discussions, which it said, were being held between Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and an MLA of Sachin Pilot's camp, who were coordinating via a Jaipur resident.

Jul 17, 2020 7:29 am (IST)

READ | Rajasthan HC to Hear Today Amended Plea of Sachin Pilot, Rebel Congress MLAs against Disqualification Notices

Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders have moved the high court challenging notices from the Rajasthan Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state assembly.

Jul 17, 2020 7:25 am (IST)

When Were the Notices Sent? The 19 MLAs were sent notices by the assemby secretariat on Tuesday and allowed up to Friday to give their replies. The notices said Speaker CP Joshi will take up the matter at 1pm on Friday. The notices were served after the ruling party complained to the Speaker that the MLAs had defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings, on Monday and Tuesday.

Jul 17, 2020 7:24 am (IST)

Hearing at 1 pm | The high court hearing on the notices being filed will take place before a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court at 5pm on Friday, which is also the "deadline" that the Speaker's office gave the MLAs to file their replies to the notices.

Jul 17, 2020 7:23 am (IST)

Meanwhile Pilot Has Moved HC | Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders on Thursday moved the high court, challenging notices from the Rajasthan Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state assembly.

Jul 17, 2020 7:22 am (IST)

However, Bhanwarlal Sharma Denied It | Bhanwarlal Sharma said that an audio which had gone viral regarding the matter was fake. "Officer on Special duty to Chief Minister, Lokesh Sharma is trying to pressurise MLAs by getting fake audios made as CM is in despair," he said.

#WATCH:Audio that has gone viral is fake. Officer on Special duty to CM,Lokesh Sharma is trying to pressurise MLAs by getting fake audios made as CM is in despair: Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma on audio clips in which he is purportedly heard conspiring to topple #Rajasthan govt pic.twitter.com/35JTpkzajl
— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2020

Jul 17, 2020 7:20 am (IST)

Bhanwarlal Sharma Accused of Wanting to Topple Govt | Senior Congress legislator Bhanwarlal Sharma, who is a Sachin Pilot loyalist, was on Thursday accused by his party members of making several attempts of toppling governments but never succeeding. A statement, issued by the supporters of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, said that Sharma was making the fifth attempt to topple the government this time with rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot.

Jul 17, 2020 7:18 am (IST)

Randeep Singh Surjewala to Also Speak | Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala will also be briefing the media today at 9.30am at the Fairmont hotel.

Jul 17, 2020 7:14 am (IST)

Rajasthan CM Gehlot to Brief Media Today | Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will be briefing the media today morning at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur where Congress party MLAs are lodged.

Rajasthan Crisis LIVE Updates: CM Ashok Gehlot to Address Media Today as Sachin Pilot Drags Congress to Court

File photo of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot with former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

The Pilot camp, however, argues that a party whip applies only when the assembly is in session. In its complaint to the Speaker, the Congress sought action against Pilot and the other dissidents under paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The provision disqualifies MLAs if they "voluntarily" give up the membership of the party which they represent in the House. The Congress said in the letter to the Speaker that the Supreme Court has "unequivocally held" in the past that the provision comes into effect when the conduct of an MLA leads to this inference. In his initial appearance, Salve argued that the MLAs wanted to challenge the constitutional validity of the notices and needed some time to file it afresh. Among those sent notices are Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena, who were sacked along with Pilot from the state cabinet after their rebellion against Ashok Gehlot. Others include Deepender Singh Shekhawat, Bhanwar Lal Sharma and Harish Chandra Meena, who had also given statements to the media challenging the Gehlot government.

Pilot has been upset since the Congress picked Ashok Gehlot for the chief minister's post after the 2018 assembly polls. His supporters said he deserved credit for the party's victory election after a campaign helmed by him as its state unit chief. If the Congress dissidents are disqualified, the current strength of the state assembly will reduce to 181, slashing the half-way mark to 91 and seemingly making it easier for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to retain majority support. In the 200-member assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).