Buzz grows over Raj spl session, floor test

JAIPUR:AMID the political crisis in Rajasthan following a rebellion by ousted deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 of his followers in the state assembly, the government ’s intention of calling a special session of the House may be to gain the moral high ground, political experts said on Sunday.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot called on governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday evening for a “courtesy meeting” to brief the latter on the Covid-19 pandemic and the state’s efforts to control it.

A state government official said, requesting anonymity, that the CM also gave the governor a list of 103 MLAS in the 200-member assembly supporting his government and discussed the possibility of holding a special session so he can face a floor test to prove he has a majority. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not demanded one.

“The CM has gone ahead and suggested a floor test to attain the high moral ground,” said political commentator Narayan Bareth. He said the meeting was also aimed at removing any doubt in the mind of the state’s constitutional head about the government being in a minority.

Prakash Bhandari, another Jaipur-based commentator, said the list that the government gave to the governor doesn’t have names of the 19 Congress MLAS— that of Sachin Pilot and his 18 followers.

“The government wanted to give out a message that it was ready to face the House without these rebel MLAS,” he said.

BJP leaders said the government should have opted for a floor test much earlier if it actually had the numbers. “If they have the numbers, they should not have herded their MLAS and put them in a hotel for a week,” said Rajendra Rathore, deputy leader of the opposition in the assembly.

Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi didn’t rule out a special session next week for a floor test. “If a session is called, we will take all MLAS supporting us in buses from the hotel to the assembly,” he said.

The Rajasthan high court will resume hearing on joint petitions by 19 rebel MLAS against the disqualification notices served on them by speaker CP Joshi. The speaker has given them until 5.30 pm on Tuesday to reply to the notices.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Gulab Chand Kataria on Sunday said only a floor test can decide whether a government has the required numbers to stay in power or not.