Amid the power tussle in the ruling Congress in Rajasthan, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday said he was not against convening an assembly session as requested by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. He, however, listed three conditions while returning for a second time the cabinet’s recommendation to call a session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Mishra asked the government to give a 21-day notice before convening the session. He also wanted the state government to undertake to broadcast live the proceedings of a floor test, if it takes place.
The state government should also ensure precautions during the proposed Vidhan Sabha sitting against the spread of coronavirus, Mishra said in a statement.
The governor asked the state government to draft a fresh proposal, addressing these three points.
The cabinet had sent a revised proposal to the governor for calling the assembly session from July 31 on Saturday, a day after he returned the government’s first proposal.
Returning the first proposal, the governor had sought clarifications on six points, after Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan pressing for a Vidhan Sabha session.
The Congress government, which is facing a political crisis after a rebellion by the now sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs, says it wants to hold an Assembly session so that it can prove its majority.
Chief Minister Gehlot has alleged that the governor is facing pressure “from above” to stall the assembly from meeting, hinting at the alleged involvement of the BJP government at the Centre in the tussle for power in the state.
Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72.