Gehlot vs Pilot: Congress 'upbeat', claims majority ahead of Rajasthan Assembly session
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday claimed to have the numbers and majority in Rajasthan and said it is eagerly waiting for the state Assembly session on August 14.
Senior spokesperson of the party Ajay Maken said it was "status quo" as far as the rebel Congress MLAs in Rajasthan are concerned.
He said the Congress is "upbeat" about proving its majority as the opposition has not had the courage to bring forth a "no-confidence motion" against the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the state.
"The numbers are with us. The majority is with us and the biggest thing is that the truth is also with us. We wanted to convene a session of the state Assembly and even the opposition has not got the courage to bring a no-confidence motion against us, as everyone knows that the majority is with us," Maken told reporters, when asked about the party's position in Rajasthan.
Maken is one of the two central observers sent by the Congress high-command to oversee the political developments in Rajasthan, where party leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, along with 18 other MLAs, has revolted against the government.
Asked whether any of the rebels had got in touch with the party, Maken said it was "status quo".
He said Gehlot has said if the party leadership accepts the rebels, he will also do the same with an open heart and embrace them.
"We are together with all the MLAs and are eagerly waiting for the Assembly session on August 14, where all of us wish to go," Maken said.
All the Congress MLAs supporting Gehlot, who were earlier lodged in a luxury hotel in Jaipur, have now been shifted to Jaisalmer, till the Assembly session is convened.
To another question on the change of the Jammu and Kashmir governor so soon, the Congress leader said it is not a sign of a "healthy administration".
He said people occupying key sensitive positions should not be changed so soon.
Meanwhile, the division bench of Rajasthan High Court on Thursday disposed of appeals filed by a BJP MLA and the Bahujan Samaj Party against the order of a judge, who had refused to stay the functioning of six BSP MLAs as Congress legislators.
BJP MLA Madan Dilawar and BSP national secretary Satish Mishra had approached the division bench on Tuesday appealing against the single-judge bench order.
Both the parties had earlier filed writ petitions challenging the decision of Speaker CP Joshi in September 2019 allowing merger of the six BSP MLAs with the Congress.
The single-judge bench of Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal had issued notices to the speaker and secretary of the assembly, and the six MLAs on July 30 and directed them to submit replies on August 11.
However, the judge had not granted any interim relief and refused to put a stay on the six BSP MLAs' participation in the proceedings of the House as Congress legislators.
The division bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Prakash Gupta had issued a notice to the assembly speaker on Wednesday on the appeal but no reply was filed on his behalf.
His counsel Kapil Sibal argued in the court that the appeal in the division bench is not maintainable.
Sibal also said that the speaker's office cannot be used as a post office to get the notices served to any MLA.
In response to which, the division bench directed to serve the notices through Jaisalmer's district judge and publish them in two newspapers of Jaisalmer and Barmer.
It said the single judge-bench will hear the stay application of the BJP and the BSP on August 11.
Six BSP MLAs -- Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha -- defected to the Congress in September last month.