Raj impasse continues as Gehlot pushes for session
JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: In a sign of the deepening rift between constitutional institutions in Rajasthan, the state government, in its third proposal to state governor Kalraj Mishra, has reiterated its demand to convene an assembly session from July 31 — but did not mention whether it will seek a trust vote in the House.
The Ashok Gehlot-led cabinet, which met on Tuesday, also claimed that the governor did not have any locus standi in stipulating conditions to hold the session, asked him to abide by the proposal of the cabinet, claimed that the failure to do so would be unconstitutional, asserted that the agenda of the session will be determined by the business advisory committee of the house, and said that it was the speaker’s domain to decide on social distancing norms in the assembly.
Separately, the Congress accused the governor of acting under pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while leaders privately said they would wait for the governor’s response before determining their next step.
The cabinet meeting followed Mishra’s response to an earlier request by Gehlot to convene the assembly session. The governor had suggested a 21-day notice period to convene the house; sought clarity on the agenda of the session and advised livestreaming of the floor test, if such a test was to be held; and asked about Covid-19 related precautions in the assembly.
A senior official at the governor’s office, confirmed that the government’s proposal has been received.
The BJP has rejected the allegation and claimed that the entire crisis was purely a result of an internal clash within the Congress. The Rajasthan crisis has seen an open tussle between Gehlot and his now-dismissed deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and a set of rebel Congress legislators, who allege that Gehlot’s government is in a minority. Gehlot, in recent days, has sought a quick assembly session based on the assessment that he has the numbers in the House.