Rajasthan Floor Test Live: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot in Jaipur with other Congress leaders on Thursday.Rajasthan Government Floor Test Live Updates: A special sitting of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly will begin Friday, during which the ruling Congress is likely to move a confidence motion while the BJP is expected to seek a no-confidence motion. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said his government would seek a trust vote and “show the power of the Congress”. He has the support of at least 107 MLAs in the 200-member House, while Opposition BJP has 72.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria, meanwhile, said the decision to bring a no-confidence motion against the Congress government was taken at a BJP legislature party meeting held in Jaipur Thursday. “It is possible that the government from its own end moves a trust vote. They will do their job, but we will move a motion of no-confidence against the government tomorrow on behalf of the BJP and its allies,” he said. “Even now, there are attempts to patch up. One is heading east while the other is heading west. Under such circumstances, I don’t think the government will last long. Despite attempts to stitch, the clothes (of the government) are torn.”
A Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, chaired by Gehlot, was held Thursday to decide a strategy for the session. After nearly a month-long political crisis, the meeting was attended by former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who had failed to topple his party’s government. Gehlot said he would have been able to prove his majority without the support from the 19 rebel MLAs, but “it wouldn’t have made us happy”.
Sachin Pilot with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The BSP yesterday issued a whip for the second time to six of its MLAs in Rajasthan to vote against the Congress in any no-confidence motion or any other proceedings in state Assembly. "All six MLAs have been directed under para 2(1)(a) of the Xth Schedule to vote against the Congress Party in any No-Confidence motion or any other proceedings to be held during the Assembly session of Rajasthan Assembly and if they violate the same they will face disqualification under para 2(1)(b) of the Xth Schedule," a press note by the party read.
The political crises in Manipur and Rajasthan, for the time being, have been averted. But, writes Chakshu Roy, head of legislative and civic engagement at PRS Legislative Research, “the constitutional provisions related to the anti-defection law have been reduced to a joke”. The anti-defection law is supposed to deter MLAs from defecting from their political parties. They can lose their seats in the legislature for defying their party. And if declared a defector, they cannot become a minister in a government for six months. “MLAs and political parties have become adept at using and bypassing the anti-defection law,” says Roy. One of them is that it only punishes MLAs for switching parties. Political parties who are at the heart of our politics have no liability under the law. They benefit from defections and are often accused of enticing MLAs of rival parties to switch loyalties. Other enactments responsible for the cleansing of our politics face a similar problem. Click here to read more.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant any interim relief on a plea of a BJP MLA seeking a stay on the Rajasthan Speaker's decision that had allowed the six BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, briefly heard the parties including the counsel for BJP MLA Madan Dilawar who said that these six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs have been wrongly allowed by the assembly speaker to merge with the ruling Congress party. On being told that the Rajasthan High Court is scheduled to hear the case on Friday, the bench, which also comprised Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said, "We are not passing any interim orders. Any transaction that takes place (in the assembly) will obviously be subject to the court's order." The apex court then deferred the hearing on the plea to August 17.
The Rajasthan High Court will resume hearing today the petitions filed by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar and the BSP challenging the merger of six MLAs with the Congress. After hearing arguments yesterday, the single judge bench posted the matter for hearing on Friday as half day was observed in the court on Thursday. The petitioners have challenged the merger of the six MLAs- Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha-with the Congress and demanded a stay on the execution of the order passed by the speaker in this regard.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje said: “Some people are spreading news about discord in the BJP. I would like to tell them that BJP is a family, and we are all pledged and united to take it forward. Rajmataji had taught me that the party in which I am a worker, for it the nation is supreme, and I am following in her footsteps.” She also met Governor Kalraj Mishra at the Raj Bhavan.
The BJP, meanwhile, decided to move a motion of no-confidence against the Gehlot government in the Assembly Friday. The BJP took the decision during a meeting of its legislature party and that of its ally, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), at the BJP headquarters Thursday. “It is possible that the government from its own end moves a trust vote. They will do their job, but we will move a motion of no-confidence against the government tomorrow on behalf of the BJP and its allies,” Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said after the meeting. “Even now, there are attempts to patch up. One is heading east while the other is heading west. Under such circumstances, I don’t think the government will last long. Despite attempts to stitch, the clothes (of the government) are torn,” Kataria said. Others at the meeting included former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the party’s national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, national vice president and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna. Signatures were obtained from all MLAs present at the meeting in favour of the no-confidence motion.
AICC general secretary Venugopal said, “The whole country and Congress workers across India are watching Sachinji’s coming here today, and it has given strength to the Congress party in the whole country, not just in Rajasthan.” He also said it would have affected the party’s future “if something were to go wrong”. Venugopal conveyed Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s message to Gehlot and Pilot: desist from interviews and statements. He said a “post-mortem” has been conducted and the party high command has “requested everyone, including the Chief Minister, including Sachin Pilotji, including all MLAs: no interview, no statement”.
In his first address following his removal as party’s state president, Pilot “thanked every single MLA who supported me in those five years”. He also said if “jaane anjane mein (unintentionally)” he had said something (which hurt anyone), then it was not his intention or sentiment.
Sachin Pilot was among the first to reach the CM residence, on Thursday, where he was welcomed by Govind Singh Dotasra, the man who replaced him as the state Congress president. He sat with Dotasra and AICC leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, KC Venugopal, Avinash Pande and Ajay Maken, before Gehlot joined them. The leaders then moved outdoors for the CLP meeting. Pilot sat next to the Chief Minister; also flanking Pilot was Pande with whom he had differences in the past. Pilot thanked Sonia Gandhi and Gehlot for being made the party’s state president and then Deputy CM. He also thanked Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for listening to his and the other MLAs’ “suggestions on how to be a more responsive government and how to be more flexible in order to seek re-election three years later. It is a good thing the party heard us and established a road map on how to implement those things”.
Ahead of the CLP meeting on Thursday, the Congress withdrew the suspension of rebel MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh — their names had come up in audio tapes which were shared by the party with the Special Operations Group.
On Thursday, sources quoted CM Gehlot as saying “we would have gone for a floor test without some of our friends (the rebel MLAs) and perhaps the government would have been saved, but honestly, hamare dil mein woh khushi nahin hoti (we wouldn’t have been happy deep inside). Hamare hamare hi hote hain, paraye paraye hi hote hain (our dear ones are our own, outsiders are outsiders)”. He said if anyone has any complaint about him or the ministers, then he and the ministers will try to address them. All MLAs then raised their hands to express confidence in him. “Consider it a bad dream which is over, the entire family is together now,” the CM said.
On Thursday, a handshake between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rival Sachin Pilot, removed as Deputy Chief Minister following a rebellion last month, reaffirmed the truce secured by the Congress leadership ahead of the Assembly session today. Pilot and his rebel MLAs reached Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur for a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party where the leaders of the two camps shook hands, raised victory signs and posed for cameras. Before they arrived, Gehlot had already spoken on the “need to forgive and forget in the interest of the country, state, people” and move ahead. At the meeting, Gehlot said his government will go for a trust vote in the House “and show the power of Congress”. Party sources confirmed that he will seek a trust vote Friday itself.
A special sitting of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is likely be held today, during which the ruling Congress is likely to move a confidence motion while the BJP is expected to seek a no-confidence motion. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said his government would seek a trust vote and “show the power of the Congress”. He has the support of at least 107 MLAs in the 200-member House, while Opposition BJP has 72. Follow this live blog for all the latest updates.