Rajasthan crisis: Assembly session could take place next week
In a new development in the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will likely call an Assembly session next week with an aim to showcase his government's strength, according to reports. The decision comes after Gehlot on Saturday met state Governor Kalraj Mishra. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot and his loyalists remain unknown. Here are more details.
Gehlot v/s Pilot laid roots for the current crisis
Former Deputy CM Pilot, who was never particularly fond of his erstwhile boss, Gehlot, felt humiliated after he was served a notice for interrogation in connection with an alleged plot to bring down the sitting state government. Subsequently, the 42-year-old Congress young gun left Jaipur for Delhi along with some loyalist MLAs. Days later, the grand old party sacked him from two top posts.
Gehlot met governor, talked about Assembly session
Gehlot on Saturday met Governor Mishra, just hours after two MLAs of Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), a regional party, took a U-turn, and extended support to his government. While the governor's office tagged it as a "courtesy meeting," where the coronavirus situation was discussed, sources informed NDTV that the Chief Minister indicated to Mishra that he wished to call Assembly session next week.
But where is the Pilot camp? Anybody's guess
But the million-dollar question is: Where is Pilot, and his loyalist MLAs, now? Per reports, the Rajasthan Police visited two hotels in Haryana's Manesar in their search but returned empty-handed. Earlier, Haryana cops even tried to stop them from entering the hotels. Some Congress leaders alleged that the rebellious camp has moved to another BJP-ruled state. However, the mystery over their whereabouts persists.
No action against Pilot until Tuesday: Rajasthan HC
Notably, the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly's Speaker, CP Joshi, earlier issued disqualification notices to Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs. However, Pilot moved court against the order. Subsequently, the Rajasthan High Court asked the Speaker to not take any action against these MLAs till Tuesday.
Both the factions claim they have the numbers
It is imperative to note that both factions seem confident with their numbers. Gehlot claims he has the support of 109 MLAs, well more than the majority mark. On the other hand, the Pilot camp claims to have 30 MLAs on their side, a number enough to bring down sitting government. Only enough time and a floor test could clarify Rajasthan's future from here.
Meanwhile, eight-member team to investigate the matter
Meanwhile, an eight-member team, headed by Jaipur Crime Branch SP Vikas Sharma, has been constituted to investigate the matter pertaining to the ongoing crisis. On Friday, two FIRs were filed with regard to the audiotapes that had conversations about an alleged conspiracy to topple the Gehlot-led government. BJP, on the other hand, demanded a CBI probe, asking if leaders' phones were tapped and privacy compromised.
