Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot chairs CLP meeting at Fairmont hotel in Jaipur.
Rajasthan Government crisis Live Updates: State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said that the party would approach President Ram Nath Kovind to press for an Assembly session,if needed, reported ANI. Addressing the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur, Gehlot said, “we will go Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet the President and if required, we will stage a protest outside the prime minister’s residence.
Meanwhile, the Congress workers today staged demonstrations across Rajasthan against what it called a BJP “conspiracy to topple” its government. Congress workers gathered in large numbers in Jaipur and district headquarters and raised slogans against the BJP and demanded that the governor convene a session of the Assembly. The Congress government is pushing for an Assembly session so that Gehlot can prove his majority, following a revolt by Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.
During a cabinet meeting on late Friday, leaders discussed six points raised by Governor Kalraj Mishra on Gehlot’s demand for an Assembly session to prove his government’s majority. Though the Pilot camp has at least 19 MLAs, Gehlot claims he still has a majority in the 200-member House.
On Friday evening, the chief minister took his party MLAs in four buses to the Raj Bhavan where they sat in protest on the lawns, and demanded that an Assembly session commence Monday. Governor Mishra then stepped out to meet them. Earlier, Gehlot claimed that the former was not calling a session of the state Assembly because of “pressure from above”.
In other news, the Rajasthan High Court’s decision on Friday agreeing to hear in detail the challenge against anti-disqualification laws made by 19 rebel Congress MLAs has opened up the debate on a law considered settled on the Tenth Schedule of Constitution, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1992.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
Hitting at the BJP in Rajasthan, Congress Spokesperson said the country is in danger and that democracy is in shackles. In a tweet he said, " We will protect the Constitution and democracy. A new vision will come after this storm of struggle. The flag of values and policy will be hoisted again."
Rajasthan: BJP delegation led by state party president Satish Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chandra Kataria have arrived at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur to meet Governor Kalraj Mishra, ANI reported.
BJP delegation led by Rajasthan BJP President Satish Punia and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chandra Kataria will meet Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhawan later today to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the state, ANI reported.
The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting at Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur has concluded.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is expected to meet Governor Kalraj Mishra at 4 pm today with a fresh proposal for convening Assembly session, ANI reported.
Attacking Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for staging a 'dharna' at the Raj Bhawan, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday said in a state where the chief minister himself makes the governor "feel unsafe", it is futile for people to plead to him for their safety. Accusing Governor Kalraj Mishra of acting under pressure to not call an assembly session, Gehlot along with several Congress MLAs had staged a sit-in at the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur on Friday.
The Congress has accused Shekhwat of trying to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, a charge the Union Jal Shakti minister has denied. The Congress and Shekhawat have been involved in an intense war of words since then. A Rajasthan court has also asked the state police to probe a complaint alleging the involvement of Shekhawat in a credit society scam. The Union minister has dismissed the charge as a "political conspiracy".
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will meet Governor Kalraj Mishra at 4 pm today, news agency ANI reported.
Scores of Congress workers staged demonstrations against the BJP today, accusing it of "conspiring" to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. The Congress had on Friday given the call for demonstrations in all district headquarters against the "conspiracy to murder democracy" and to press the governor for convening an Assembly session. In Jaipur, the demonstration was held at the Youth Congress office. Party leaders addressed the gatherings across the state. "The BJP's intentions will not work out and the Ashok Gehlot government will complete its tenure. It is also disappointing that the Governor is not calling an Assembly session. The session should be called," a party leader was quoted as saying by PTI in Bikaner. Congress workers took out a rally in Kota and staged a dharna in Jodhpur. Similar protest demonstrations were held elsewhere in the state.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sought time to meet Governor Kalraj Mishra to give a fresh proposal for convening the Assembly session, news agency ANI reported.
In further relief to the rebel Congress camp of former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, the Rajasthan High Court directed Friday that status quo as of July 14 be maintained on notices sent by Assembly Speaker CP Joshi to the 19 MLAs led by Pilot. The direction effectively means that rebel MLAs will not be required to submit their reply to the Speaker and no action can be taken against them till the hearing resumes in the Supreme Court on July 27. “It means that the respondents need not file their reply before the Speaker, and possibly, the Speaker can’t proceed further. So, the position on (July) 14th is maintained till any order is passed by the Supreme Court,” said lawyer Prateek Kasliwal, who is representing Speaker Joshi. Click here to read more.
The Rajasthan Cabinet is likely to meet today to revise a proposal to be sent to Governor Kalraj Mishra requesting him to convene a session of the Assembly. "Discussions on the points raised by the governor with regard to calling the Assembly session were held in the meeting last night," a source told news agency PTI, adding that the Cabinet is likely to meet again on Saturday.
Taking to Twitter, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said the governor must convene an assembly session so that the truth comes out before the country. "The country is ruled by Constitution and law. The governments are made and run by the mandate of the people. The BJP conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government is clear. This is an insult to the eight crore people of Rajasthan," he posted on the micro-blogging site.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor writes on the ongoing political developments in Rajasthan. He says: "The only serious objection advanced by liberal democrats is that the presidential system carries with it the risk of dictatorship. They conjure up the image of an imperious president, immune to parliamentary defeat and impervious to public opinion, ruling the country by fiat. In particular they argue that it will pave the way for a Modi dictatorship in India. But a President Modi could scarcely be more autocratic than the prime minister we have seen in office — one who has, thanks to the parliamentary system, a rubber-stamp majority in the Lok Sabha rather than the independent legislature a presidential system would ensure. In addition, the powers of a President Modi would be amply balanced by those of the directly elected chief executives in the states, who would be immune to dismissal by their party leader, or to toppling by defecting MLAs."
Congress workers today held protests against the BJP at the at Indian Youth Congress office in Jaipur.
BJP MLA Madan Dilawar has filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court, challenging the merger of six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators into the Congress last year, which took the party’s strength to 107 in the 200-member Assembly. In the petition, the hearing of which is scheduled to take place on Monday, one of the prayers is the disqualification of these MLAs from membership of the Assembly with effect from September 2019. “In March this year, I had submitted a written appeal to the Speaker of the Rajasthan Assembly, saying that the merger of BSP MLAs in the Congress is unconstitutional. But even after four months have passed, he didn’t hear my petition. As a result, I had to move the High Court because I had no choice left. (I am) requesting the court to declare this merger wrong and ineffective,” said Dilawar, MLA from Ramganjmandi in Kota district.
The Congress will hold its legislature party meeting to discuss the political situation in Rajasthan. Chief whip Mahesh Joshi said the meeting was proposed to be held at around 11.30 am. "The chief minister told reporters last evening that the meeting will be convened today. It is expected to be begin at 11.30 am," Joshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The meeting will take place at the hotel where the MLAs of the Ashok Gehlot camp are staying.
The Rajasthan High Court’s decision on Friday agreeing to hear in detail the challenge against anti-disqualification laws made by 19 rebel Congress MLAs has opened up the debate on a law considered settled on the Tenth Schedule of Constitution, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1992. The HC has agreed to test whether disqualification of an MLA for dissent against the party violates the Constitution’s basic structure and fundamental right to free speech, among other issues raised by rebel MLAs. In 1992, a five-judge Constitution Bench of SC led by Justice M N Venkatachalliah – in Kihoto Hollohan v Zachillhu and Others case – had upheld constitutional validity of the 52nd amendment to the Constitution, through which anti-defection laws were introduced. Click here to read more.
Sarika Anil Paliwal, wife of Anil Paliwal, Additional Director General of Police (Personnel) is a Director in Mayank Sharma Enterprises Private Ltd, one of the companies where search and survey operations were undertaken by the Income Tax department on July 14. Anil Paliwal was ADG (ATS & SOG) for almost a year till July 3, before he was shifted as ADG (Personnel). It was during his tenure as ADG (ATS & SOG) that Congress Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi had submitted a complaint to the Special Operations Group of the Rajasthan Police in June, alleging attempts of horse trading of MLAs to destabilise the Ashok Gehlot government. ADG Paliwal couldn’t be reached for his response despite repeated calls and text messages to his mobile phone as well as the number of his residence mentioned on the Department of Personnel, Rajasthan. Click here to read more.
The Congress has demanded the resignation of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. "The Congress Party demands that for the sake of transparency and accountability in democracy, the prime minister ask Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to tender his resignation today," spokesperson Pawan Khera told an online press briefing. Khera had said on Thursday that a Court in Jaipur ordered an enquiry into the Rs 884-crore ponzi scheme, call the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society, an office-bearer of which was linked to the Union minister.
The meeting with Governor Kalraj Mishra came after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that the former was not calling a session of the state Assembly because of “pressure from above”. Gehlot did not say who or what he meant by “pressure from above”, but he has been accusing the BJP of plotting with Pilot to topple his government. The Pilot camp has 19 MLAs and Gehlot claims he still has a majority in the 200-member House. The CM then took his party MLAs in four buses to the Raj Bhavan where they sat on a protest on the lawns and demanded that an Assembly session be called Monday. Governor Mishra later stepped out to meet them.