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‘Dissent or defiance’: A ‘curious’ Ahmed Patel asks, throws in a scenario
The Rajasthan High Court ordered maintaining status quo on disqualification notices issued by the assembly speaker to 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including Sachin Pilot.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, in a Twitter post on Friday, threw in a scenario involving BJP chief and some MLAs going incommunicado. Broadening his argument, he said if the group is found to be collaborating with the opposition Congress what would one term it - dissent or defiance.
The Congress in Rajasthan is battling rebellion from its very own Sachin Pilot and 18 dissident MLAs who are openly opposing their chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Till last week, Sachin Pilot was the deputy chief minister in the very government until he was sacked by the party for leading the revolt against CM Gehlot. Since the differences came out in public, team Pilot has been away from Jaipur and is reported to be camping in BJP-ruled Haryana.
“Very curious to know if the BJP President goes incommunicado with 30 MPs , is actively collaborating with the Congress party & lodging himself in a Congress ruled stated under police protection - will it be mere dissent or defiance that merits disqualification?” tweeted Patel.
Yesterday, the Rajasthan High Court ordered maintaining status quo on disqualification notices issued by the assembly speaker to 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including Sachin Pilot.
The notices were served by the assembly speaker to the MLAs on July 14 after the party complained to him that the legislators had defied a whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings last week.
The MLAs argue that the issuance of disqualification notices by the speaker is a violation of their freedom of speech. Additionally, they also said that if a group of MLAs raises its voice against the style of CM’s functioning it cannot be termed defection. On the charge of defying the party whip, the MLAs contend that it applies only when the assembly is in session.
The Rajasthan chief minister has repeatedly accused his former Number 2 of being hand-in-glove with the BJP and plotting the downfall of his government. Pilot, on his part, has maintained that he is not joining the BJP and is merely raising legitimate concerns against the party leadership of the state.
Pilot, who is widely credited with leading the party’s successful 2018 poll campaign, was also sacked as the state unit chief. Before that he led a group of MLAs to Delhi to make his differences with the CM public.
Last week, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who is in Rajasthan as party’s central observer, asked Pilot to not accept the “hospitality” of BJP-ruled Haryana, if he was not joining the BJP.
“Come back to your family, sit with your family and place your view before the family,” Surjewala was quoted as saying by ANI in Jaipur, where MLAs loyal to CM Ashok Gehlot are camping.
The chief minister, however, was less accommodating and turned on the heat on the young rebel leader.
“Our deputy chief minister and PCC president himself was doing the deal and was giving statements that no horse-trading was taking place. What clarification are you giving when you yourself were involved?” he had asked last week.
However, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar denied any role in hosting the Congress rebel and several of his followers in a hotel in Manesar amid suggestions that its location indicated Pilot’s move had the blessings of the BJP leadership, which leads the ruling coalition in Haryana.
Khattar denied the connection and said private hotels welcome everyone.
“Private hotels are open for everyone, anyone can stay there. The Haryana government has no role in it,” said Khattar.
