\'Vote against Congress or be sacked from party\': Mayawati\'s ultimatum to BSP MLAs\, looking to teach Gehlot a \'lesson\'



'Vote against Congress or be sacked from party': Mayawati's ultimatum to BSP MLAs, looking to teach Gehlot a 'lesson'

"BSP could have gone to the court earlier too but we were looking for a time to teach Congress party and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a lesson. Now we have decided to go to the Court. We will not let this matter alone. We will go even to the Supreme Court," Mayawati said.


BSP Chief Mayawati

(File Photo)

In what comes as fresh trouble for the Congress in Rajasthan, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has issued an ultimatum to the six legislators of her party in the state, warning that if the MLAs do not vote against the Congress in the case of a no-confidence motion, all of them will be sacked from the party. Notably, the BSP had issued a whip on Sunday directing all of its six MLAs in the state legislative assembly to vote against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in case of a no-confidence motion. The whip was signed by Satish Chandra Mishra, the National General Secretary of the Mayawati-led BSP.

On Tuesday, Mayawati elaborated on the party's stance and said that they were looking for a time to teach the Congress party and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot 'a lesson'. Now, the BSP will pursue the matter in court, even right up to the Supreme Court, if need be, BSP chief Mayawati said.

"BSP could have gone to the court earlier too but we were looking for a time to teach Congress party and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a lesson. Now we have decided to go to the Court. We will not let this matter alone. We will go even to the Supreme Court," Mayawati said.

She further added, "We have asked the 6 MLAs, who are elected to Rajasthan Assembly on the symbol of BSP, to vote against Congress in any proceedings to be held during Rajasthan Assembly Session. If they don't do so, their party membership will be cancelled."

Notably, all the aforementioned six legislators had won on a BSP ticket in the 2018 polls and the party had decided to merge with the Congress in 2019. However, the BSP has now asked its MLAs to not vote in favour of Congress in any “no-confidence motion” or any proceedings to be held during the Rajasthan Assembly Session.

In September 2019, all six BSP MLAs in Rajasthan - Rajendra Gudha (MLA from Udaipurwati), Jogendra Singh Awana (MLA from Nadbai), Lakhan Singh Meena (MLA from Karauli), Wajib Ali (MLA from Nagar), Sandeep Yadav (MLA from Tijara) and Deepchand Kheria (MLA from Kishangarhbas) - had joined Congress. The MLAs had informed Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi about their decision to join the Congress.

In its statement two days ago, the BSP had stated that all the six legislators were also issued separate notices informing that their merger with the Congress in Rajasthan is not valid, citing that such a merger is untenable under the Xth Schedule of the Indian Constitution because the BSP is a 'national party' and that such a merger would only be tenable if it merged with the Congress in all states and at the Centre.

The BSP has also insisted that President`s rule should be imposed in Rajasthan in view of the political crisis and COVID-19 situation in the state.

"BSP chief Mayawati had issued a press note over the state`s current situation where she said that when people are suffering due to the pandemic, the government, on the other hand, locks their MLAs in a five-star hotel instead of letting them work for public welfare. BSP believes that in view of the current situation in the state, President`s rule should be imposed in Rajasthan," Satish Chandra Misra, the party`s national general secretary, told news agency ANI.

Rajasthan plunged into a political crisis after differences between former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress party.