We’ll call assembly session soon, majority with us: CM
Gehlot meets governor for 20 minutes, says confident of winning floor test but doesn’t elaborate on when the session may be held
nJAIPUR: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said he will call an assembly session soon to prove his majority and later met governor Kalraj Mishra, hours after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to his camp by refusing to stay proceedings in the Rajasthan high court on the disqualification of 19 rebel legislators, including former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
Gehlot did not elaborate on when the session would be called but added all issues -- from Covid to politics - will be discussed. “The assembly session will be called soon and we will prove the mandate in the house,” he said.
Later in the evening, he met Mishra for about 20 minutes and officials termed it a courtesy call. Congress leaders said the meeting was to apprise the governor of political developments and discuss the possibility of holding a session.
In his press conference, Gehlot expressed hope that rebel MLAS will come back and vote for the party in the assembly session.
“Some of them (dissident MLAS) are calling and saying that we aren’t able to come out… bouncers are deployed. Even without them, we have the full majority and will come to the house with those numbers, and prove the mandate,” he said.
His comments came hours after the top court refused to suspend proceedings of the Rajasthan high court, which is scheduled to pronounce a verdict on disqualification notices sent by speaker CP Joshi to 19 rebel Congress MLAS, including Pilot.
In the 200 member Rajasthan assembly, Gehlot camp has 101 legislators and Pilot camp has 22 -- including 19 Congress rebels and three independents. The Opposition has 75 MLAS, including 72 of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and three of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party.
One legislator Bhanwarlal Meghwal -- believed to be close to Pilot -- is indisposed and the speaker casts his vote only to break a tie. This effectively means that Gehlot enjoys a narrow majority at the moment. Despite the ongoing turmoil in the state, the BJP has not openly sought a trust vote so far .
According to the rules, the governor notifies an assembly session 21 days prior to the first sitting but in an emergency situation, a session can be called within 24 hours for a specific agenda.
The business of the house is decided by the Business Advisory Committee, which is headed by speaker CP Joshi.
A senior government official said the legislative agenda might include approving an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which the state government used in May to hike penalties for lockdown violations.
“The calling of the assembly session would be more for disqualification of the rebel MLAS and negate any adverse ruling by the Rajasthan high court,” said a Congress leader, who was not willing to be named.
The leader said a whip could be issued on voting on Ordinance and those failing to attend could be served disqualification notices for failing to attend the vote.
In his press conference, Gehlot said only “misguided” MLAS went to the court.
BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said the recent events exposed the CM, who did not have the legislators to prove his majority. “The CM’S statement has neither truth nor evidence,” he said.