JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Assembly is all set for a stormy session from Friday. The state BJP will move a motion of no confidence in the Assembly against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said on Thursday.
The decision was taken in a BJP legislature party meeting held here on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by RLP (Rashtriya Loktantrik Party) MLAs, where this proposal was unanimously approved.
After the return of the Sachin Pilot camp to the Congress fold, the danger to the Gehlot Government has now receded. Even the BJP admits that but Leader of the Opposition, Gulab Singh Kataria speaking to the media in Jaipur said, "We will bring in a no-confidence motion and our party is fully ready for this. We will like to question how the government functioned during the past one month when all its MLAs and ministers were herded together in hotels."
Except for Bikaner MLA Siddhi Kumari, all BJP MLAs attended the meeting on Thursday. All senior leaders of the party's state unit including former CM Vasundhara Raje attended the meeting which was presided over by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Despite the factionalism that has plagued the party in recent months, the BJP legislature party meeting was meant to present a united face before the Assembly session.
Given the coronavirus threat, Vasundhara Raje has not participated in any public functions for nearly five months. Even during the month-long Congress crisis, she has been largely silent which led to a host of rumours that she was soft and had some understanding in saving Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's Government.
During the meeting, Raje said, "Congress has taken care of its interests and not interested in the people of Rajasthan. We worked hard for 10 years and this Congress government has only changed the names of our schemes. Now we will all make a determined effort to take the work of Central government to the people of Rajasthan."
In contrast, the BJP Central leadership was keen to encash the Sachin Pilot rebellion to "bring down the state government". But with factionalism in the state BJP unit and Pilot's returning to the Congress, those dreams have now been shattered. Party sources say that the BJP Central leadership is angry with 12 MLAs who refused to join the group of MLAs who were sent to Gujarat. The central observer was reportedly sent to the meeting of MLAs on Thursday in order to prepare a detailed report on this case and sources say some kind of disciplinary action against these MLAs is quite possible.
The BJP is disappointed that 'operation Kamal' could not succeed in Rajasthan. But given the long-standing Gehlot-Pilot feud, the party is still hopeful that if differences between the two top leaders will emerge again they will be keen to encash that opportunity and relaunch its operation with greater intensity.
A senior BJP party leader on condition of anonymity said, "Had there been a confidence motion, the Gehlot government would definitely have lost. This game is not over though as the Congress has a lot of internal rifts, and we are confident that very soon some of these disgruntled MLAs will themselves bring down the Gehlot government."