Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: The Rajasthan Cabinet has sent a fresh proposal to Governor Kalraj Mishra, recommending assembly session from July 31.
Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, on Saturday, said he would foil the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) plan of toppling the state government and even “go to the President, if required”.
Addressing the MLAs at Fairmont Hotel, Gehlot said if required we would stay in the hotel for 21 more days. The MLAs hailed the Chief Minister by raising their hands. The legislators are camping at the hotel to block any attempt of poaching.
Governor Kalraj Mishra had posed six questions and consulted legal experts on Friday on the cabinet’s four-line resolution to call a session.
After a marathon meeting of the cabinet last night, Gehlot called another meeting to send a request and recommendation to the Governor about calling a session.
The trickiest clarification the Governor has sought pertains to why the Chief Minister wants to call a session to prove majority when he has the majority already. The governor’s import in the question is that no one was asking the government to prove majority, so why should there be a rush.
The Chief Minister says he needs to end the political uncertainty created by the rebellion of 19 MLAs, including Sachin Pilot, and that some rebels want to come back but are being held captive in Haryana by the ruling BJP.
Chief Minister Gehlot feels a floor test will clear everything and will secure the government for six months.
Another poser by the Governor is — what’s your agenda for the session and what’s the date from which you want it? The state cabinet’s earlier note doesn’t mention either.
Yet another point of contention is his direction to the state government to ensure independent movements of MLAs so that they cast their vote freely and not under duress.
The rebel MLAs are incommunicado and the Congress wants to get them to the assembly, issue a fresh whip for the floor test and force them to take a public stand because dissidents have been saying they don’t want to join the BJP.
Mishra has also told the state to give him a detailed plan of how COVID-19 safety norms will be followed should the session be called.
Governor’s six posers
- Cabinet note doesn’t mention date from which the session is proposed to be called
- Cabinet note doesn’t explain why the session is being called at such short notice and what’s the agenda? Normally a 21-day notice is mandatory to call a session.
- What’s the justification to call a session to prove majority when the state government has the majority?
- Governor has directed the state government to assure the provision of arrangements for independent movement of all MLAs for the session.
- Governor has directed the government to consider pending SC proceedings involving some MLAs and also provide details of COVID safety norms the state will implement for the session.
- Raj Bhavan has asked the government to ensure everything is done within the constitutional remit.
