Congress legislators, supporting chief minister Ashok Gehlot amid a revolt by his former deputy Sachin Pilot, have been holed up in a hotel on the outskirts of the state capital of Jaipur.
Ashok Gehlot had shifted his 100-plus legislators to Hotel Fairmont on July 13 to shield them from the pulls and pressures of politics that could jeopardise the survival of his 18-month-old government.
They have been watching movies, attending cooking classes and playing antakshari or a musical game at the 245-room luxury resort.
A video showing them singing the popular Hindi song “Hum Honge Kamyaab” has been shared widely on social media.
The members of legislative assembly (MLAs) are heard singing “Hum Honge Kamyaab” in an apparent signal of solidarity in the 42-second video clip.
{{/usCountry}}The members of legislative assembly (MLAs) are heard singing “Hum Honge Kamyaab” in an apparent signal of solidarity in the 42-second video clip.
{{/usCountry}}Before this, they watched Dilip Kumar and Madhubala’s epic Mughal-e-Azam, Aamir Khan’s blockbuster movie ‘Lagaan’ as well as cult classic hit Sholay starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Sambit Patra had taken a jibe at Congress MLAs over the weekend, saying they were neglecting the people of their constituencies as they are busy watching movies and learning how to make ‘pizza, pasta’.
The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.
The Congress government in Rajasthan continues to be in turmoil after the simmering differences between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot came out in the open.
Pilot was sacked from the posts of Rajasthan deputy chief minister and state unit president last week. The 42-year-old leader and 18 MLAs who are supporting him, were also issued disqualification notices by the speaker of the state assembly.
The battle has now reached Rajasthan High Court, where a two-judge bench is hearing petitions filed by Pilot and 18 MLAs challenging their disqualification notices.
On Friday, the high court had directed that no action be taken against Pilot and the other rebel Congress MLAs until Tuesday and had deferred the hearing of their plea challenging the speaker’s notices.