Congress to go for trust vote in Rajasthan assembly today

JAIPUR: Ahead of the crucial session of the Rajasthan assembly beginning Friday, chief minister Ashok Gehlot told Congress legislators that the state government would have proved its majority sans the 19 rebels but that would have been devoid of happiness and ‘stability’.
"Apne toh apne hote hain (our dear ones are our own)," Gehlot said, addressing the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting where former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his group of 18 legislators, who had rebelled last month, were present on Thursday.
After the CLP, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, "Everything went on well. Now the Congress family is united. We will fight against BJP’s bad politics." He added, "Tomorrow in Vidhan Sabha, the Congress party will stand unitedly and will fight out (the BJP)."
Chief minister Gehlot talked about moving a ‘confidence motion’ in the assembly on Friday. Earlier in the day, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria had said that the BJP would move a ‘no confidence motion’ against the Congress government.
Pilot assured the CLP that "every single person sitting in this hall" would go by whatever Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked them to do when the truce was brokered early this week. "If something needs to be changed in our style of functioning or our governance structure, then we should not shy away from doing it," Pilot said at the CLP.
Venugopal thanked Pilot for returning by saying that the entire nation had been watching the past month’s events wondering what Congress’s future would be, said sources. Venugopal said that Pilot’s home coming has strengthened Congress not just in Rajasthan but across the nation, said sources.
The MLAs led by Pilot attended the CLP for the first time after over a month since they raised a rebellion against Gehlot’s leadership. Following the revolt, the Congress sacked Pilot as the deputy CM and PCC chief. MLAs Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena were removed as tourism and food and civil supplies ministers, respectively. Singh and senior MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma were suspended from the party’s membership.
Few hours before to the CLP that was held at the chief minister’s residence in the evening, AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande revoked suspension of Singh and Sharma, who could then come for the party event. Legislators who were corralled in a hotel on the city outskirts following the revolt were brought to CMR in buses.
Around half-an-hour prior to the CLP, Pilot reached the CMR where AICC general secretary Venugopal facilitated his meeting with Gehlot in the presence of PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra and senior party leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ajay Maken and Pande. Subsequently, the 18 MLAs loyal to Pilot reached for the CMR. At the start of the CLP, Gehlot and Pilot, along with the senior leaders, made victory signs with their hands before the media.
Gehlot told the legislators that their grievances would be redressed at the earliest. "You can meet me now or later," the CM said, in an apparent reference to the Pilot camp MLAs who had complained to the Congress central leadership about public issues remaining unattended in their constituencies.