Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday demanded that a special session of the assembly be convened from Monday even as he alleged that governor Kalraj Mishra was not issuing an order to that effect because he was under pressure.
“We hoped that the governor would issue an order to call the assembly session yesterday (Thursday) night itself. I waited overnight but still there is no reply from his side. The governor has to give orders. There is no reason for him to stop,” Gehlot said outside Fairmont Hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur where the legislators supporting him are camping.
Gehlot said the governor was requested, through a letter on Thursday evening after a cabinet meeting, to call an assembly session to hold discussions on the political situation, review the coronavirus situation and its impact on the state’s economy.
Before heading for Raj Bhavan, Gehlot said if the demand for convening a session was not met, MLAs will “not be responsible” if the people gherao the governor’s house. “We have to convince him so that he calls assembly session,” Gehlot said outside Raj Bhavan, again pointing to what called pressure on the governor from “higher-ups”.
The MLAs supporting him, who arrived at Raj Bhavan in four buses around 2:30pm, later staged a five-hour sit-in there. They shouted slogans and said they will stay put till the governor issued an order for the session.
{{/usCountry}}The MLAs supporting him, who arrived at Raj Bhavan in four buses around 2:30pm, later staged a five-hour sit-in there. They shouted slogans and said they will stay put till the governor issued an order for the session.
{{/usCountry}}“Insaaf hamara nara hai (our slogan is justice); Gehlot ji tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hai (Ashok Gehlot, we are with you in your struggle),” they shouted.
The protest was called off after Congress leaders said they got assurances from the governor that he will call a session though he asked the government for clarifications on a few issues.
Alleging that there was a clear “conspiracy” by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to topple Gehlot’s government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the governor must convene an assembly session. “The country is ruled by Constitution and law. The governments are made and run by the mandate of the people,” the former Congress chief said in a tweet. “The BJP conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government is clear. This is an insult to the eight crore people of Rajasthan.”
The BJP, however, has repeatedly rejected the Congress’s allegations linking it to the Rajasthan crisis, saying whatever is going on in the state is the result of infighting between Gehlot and former deputy CM Pilot.
In the afternoon, after Gehlot met the governor again — their second meeting in 24 hours — he asked the lawmakers backing him to continue with their protest in a peaceful manner. “It has never happened in the history of the country that the governor has not given the approval to call an assembly session. The governor is bound by the decisions of the cabinet,” Gehlot said.
Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyas, a Gehlot supporter, said the government has the support of 109 MLAs. “We have the mandate and we won’t allow death of democracy,” he said.