Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday sent a reworked proposal to Governor Kalraj Mishra requesting the start of the assembly session to discuss Covid-19 and other bills. Reports said that there is no mention of a floor test.
The CM has asked the governor to start the assembly session from July 31.
Gehlot, whose earlier proposal was rejected by the governor, is gunning for an assembly session “as soon as possible”. Amid the revolt from former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, Gehlot led a sit-in protest at the Raj Bhavan on Friday, and later said that if necessary, Congress MLAs will meet the president and hold a sit-in outside the prime minister’s home to settle the political crisis in the state.
Gehlot’s supporters, meanwhile, have criticised Governor Mishra for delaying convening a session due to pressures from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The governor has denied the charges, and said that he is examining the proposal sent to him by Gehlot. The earlier proposal did not mention a date or a reason to convene the assembly session, he added.
The chief minister also said that he is confident of his numbers and the plan was to have a floor test to prove that the majority of Congress MLAs and allies are with him. Gehlot has the support of 101 members while Pilot has the backing of 18 Congress MLAs and three Independents, taking his tally to 22. The ex-deputy CM has reiterated that he has no plans of joining the BJP.
Earlier, Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi, after the CLP meeting, had said in a statement that the government has the majority and wants to go to the assembly floor. The CLP meeting was held at the hotel where MLAs supporting Gehlot have been holed up.