Rajasthan political crisis: 54 Gehlot camp MLAs on way to Jaisalmer, more to follow

JAIPUR: Over 50 MLAs of the Ashok Gehlot camp, who were lodged in a hotel on the Jaipur- Delhi highway amid the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, were being shifted to Jaisalmer on Friday, Congress sources said.
Three chartered flights carrying 54 MLAs to Jaisalmer took off from here in the first round. The remaining legislators will go in the second round, the sources said.
“We are going to Jaisalmer for a change,” Congress MLA Prashant Bairwa said.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot is also expected to go to Jaisalmer, they said.
The decision to shift the MLAs come a day after Gehlot indicated that he will seek a confidence vote when the assembly convenes next fortnight and claimed that the money offered to the MLAs to switch sides had increased sharply ahead of the session.
The MLAs have been staying in the hotel since July 13.
Gehlot is trying to save his government after Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs rebelled. The Congress has accused the BJP of being behind the "conspiracy" to topple the state government.
Gehlot said if the dissident MLAs had any complaints, they should have gone to the AICC office, instead of keeping away.
He said BSP chief Mayawati's complaint about last year's merger of six BSP MLAs with that of his party was unjustified, since the entire group in the assembly switched sides.
“It was not about two MLAs. All six MLAs merged, and according to their own conscience,” Gehlot said.
He alleged that she was giving statements at the behest of the BJP because she is afraid of the party that is misusing the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department against everyone.
The Rajasthan high court on Thursday issued notices to the assembly speaker, secretary and the six MLAs over the BSP's petition.
Gehlot said the dissident Congress MLAs are at Manesar in Gurgaon and the special operations group (SOG) of the Rajasthan police is unable to reach them.