Rajasthan crisis deepens as governor rejects Assembly session proposal again
Gehlot added that his faction of the Congress would emerge victorious ultimately
The Rajasthan political imbroglio continued to Wednesday as governor Kalraj Mishra rejected the proposal to call the Assembly government for the third time. Later, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a 15-minute meeting Mishra at the Raj Bhawan.
The governor said if the government was not stating the reason for holding a short-notice session, it could call a regular session at 21 day's notice.
He asked the Gehlot Cabinet to resubmit its proposal, giving a “solid reason” for calling a session at short notice. The Gehlot Cabinet later sent a revised proposal to Mishra, wanting the Assembly session to begin on August 14. The Cabinet is counting the days from July 23, when it made its first proposal.
"The love letter has already come. Now, I am only going to have tea with him," Gehlot told party workers at the state Congress office before heading for the Raj Bhawan.
However, Gehlot added that his faction of the Congress would emerge victorious whether Rajasthan governor seeks a notice of 21 days or 31 days to call Assembly session.
The Gehlot government had sent a third proposal on Tuesday seeking an Assembly session from July 31, but refused to mention the floor test in the proposal. The governor had demanded that the agenda of the session be specified.
Mishra on Monday sought a redrafted proposal from the government that included three points: A 21-day notice for calling a session, live broadcast of the proceedings if there is a trust vote, and social distancing.
Meanwhile, Mishra issued a statement saying that there would be no Independence Day celebrations at the Raj Bhavan due to the coronavirus pandemic. The statement remained silent on the status of the Assembly session, leading to speculations that there would not be any session either.
Slamming Mishra for his reluctance to call a session of the Assembly, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel tweeted: "Perhaps first time in our history we are seeing a Governor reluctant to convene assembly despite aid & advice of elected Chief Minister. If this dangerous precedent is allowed,what will happen if the Rashtrapati refuses to summon Parliament despite Union Cabinet recommending it?".
The impasse between the Gehlot government and the Governor has been on since last week, when Congress MLAs staged a five-hour sit-in at the Raj Bhawan demanding an Assembly session.