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Mayawati demands President’s rule to be imposed in Rajasthan amid political row
While the main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Gehlot-led government for ordering phone-tapping of lawmakers, Mayawati, too, described the move as illegal.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has demanded the imposition of President’s rule in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan, which has plunged into a political turmoil amid an internal power struggle between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and the sacked deputy CM and challenger Sachin Pilot, who enjoys the support of at least 19 rebel Congress lawmakers.
While the main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Gehlot-led government for ordering phone-tapping of lawmakers, Mayawati, too, described the move as illegal.
“First, CM Gehlot misused the anti-defection law to get BSP lawmakers to join his party and now, by publicly ordering phone tapping, he has resorted to yet another unlawful and unconstitutional method,” Mayawati said in a series of tweets on Saturday.
Last September, all six BSP MLAs in Rajasthan had joined the Gehlot government, which had infuriated Mayawati and she had accused the Rajasthan CM of indulging in horse-trading in his desperate bid to cling to power.
In the three audiotapes, which had surfaced on Thursday evening and have since gone viral on social media, a Congress rebel member of the Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLA) can be heard purportedly speaking to some BJP leaders about toppling the Gehlot government.
“The Rajasthan governor must take cognisance of the political stand-off, government instability, and the one-upmanship prevailing in the state and must recommend President’s rule there in a bid to ensure that democracy isn’t undermined any further,” she tweeted.
The BSP chief has also urged the Yogi Adiyanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to look into the issue of a mother and daughter from Amethi, who had attempted to immolate themselves in front of the chief minister’s office (CMO) in Lucknow, over alleged police inaction in a property case. She has also demanded action against officials responsible for the women’s self-immolation bid.
Both women have sustained burn injuries and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lucknow.
“After failing to get justice from local (Amethi) administration in a property case, a mother and her daughter had to come to Lucknow to immolate themselves outside the CMO. The UP government must take up the issue with all seriousness,” Mayawati tweeted.
“Along with ensuring justice to these women, the government must also act against officers responsible for it so that such things don’t happen again,” she further tweeted.
