Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot in Jaipur on Thursday. (PTI)Rajasthan Government Floor Test: The Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday won the motion of confidence, ending the threat triggered by a rebellion within the Congress ranks in the state. The motion of confidence moved by the Congress government was passed by voice vote, an expected win after the return of the 19 dissident MLAs led by Sachin Pilot to the party-fold. The house has been adjourned till August 21, said Assembly Speaker CP Joshi. In a House of 200, the Congress party has 107 MLAs and the support of Independents and allies. The BJP has 72 members.
Gehlot said that this win is a message for BJP. “Winning the trust vote in the Assembly is a message to the forces that are trying to destabilise elected govts in the country. Their every tactic failed in Rajasthan. It is the people’s unwavering trust in us & unity of our Congress MLAs that has brought this victory,” he said.
Former Rajasthan Deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who initially led the rebellion, said that a roadmap has been prepared to address all the issues that were being raised. ” I have complete faith, that roadmap will be announced timely,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Gehlot said it would be “a victory of truth” during the assembly session. Replying to the debate on the motion, Gehlot criticised the BJP, accusing it again of trying to bring down his government. “I will not let the government topple at any cost even if you make all attempts,” he said.
Sachin Pilot with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
After winning the trust vote, CM Gehlot said that it is for the people of Rajasthan. "The way BJP had conspired in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Manipur & Arunachal Pradesh, they applied the same technique in Rajasthan, but they have been exposed," he said.
In his first reaction, Former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said, "the vote of confidence which was brought by the govt has been passed with a very good majority today in the Rajasthan Assembly. Despite various attempts by the opposition, the result is in favour of govt."
The Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday won the motion of confidence through voice vote.
Responding to Kataria's allegation of illegal phone tapping, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says: "There hasn't been a tradition in Rajasthan to illegally tap phones of MP and MLAs and neither has any such thing taken place."
Responding to the BJP, Sachin Pilot says: "Since my name is being taken repeatedly, I want to tell the House that whatever has been said or not by me, our party, leaders, whether one should feel bad for that, leave that up to us and discuss the confidence motion"
Speaking at the Assembly over the phone tapping incident, Kataria blamed Congress for using the state police for their personal work. "Did you indulge in phone tapping with permission or without permission? One can accept if permission was taken but if done without permission, then you have used the police for your personal work and put the prestige of police on stake," said Kataria in Assembly
Taking a jibe at the Congress government in Rajasthan, Rajasthan leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said the Congress is trying to blame BJP for their own in-house quarrel. 'You haven't been wounded because of us. You are wounded because of quarrels in your house and are now trying to blame us for it, which is not right. BJP has nothing to do with this situation,' Kataria said.
Referring to Akbar, Rajasthan Parliamentary Affair Minister Shanti Dhariwal said the Mughal emperor had to taste defeat in Mewar of Rajasthan during his quest to expand his empire. Similarly, BJP's attempts to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government were defeated, he added.
Continuing his address to the Assembly, Pilot said: "Whatever was to be said, or heard, whether about me or any of my companions, we have spoken about our ailment to the doctor before whom it was supposed to be raised. After getting the treatment, the 125 of us are standing inside the House." He added: "After finishing all the talks, we have entered the House. It doesn't matter how much firing takes place along this border. Everyone else and I shall keep it protected by being its shields and spears."
"You say we have been staying in a five-star culture? We were sitting there so that Gehlot could fight the battle to save the country's democracy against those arrogant people sitting in Delhi," independent MLA Sanyam Lodha said in the Assembly.
Speaking on his changed sitting arrangement in the Assembly, former deputy CM Sachin Pilot said: "I wondered why my seat was designated here. I thought for two minutes and saw that this is the border between the government and the opposition. Who is sent to the border? The strongest warrior."
Rathore added: "How can a government, which engages in elephant trading, talk of horse-trading? You have merged the BSP twice."
"The slogan of the tourism department is 'jane kya dikh jaye.' The slogan of this government is 'jane kya ho jaye'," says deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore.
"For the last 1.5 months, the public of Rajasthan has been seeing this high profile political drama. All the characters in this drama are from the same side," deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said.
Dhariwal also said that "Rajasthan mein na shah ki chali hai na kisi tanashah ki (Neither Shah nor any dictator could topple our government), triggering a host of objections from the opposition BJP.
While speaking in the Assembly, Shakti Kumar Dhariwal said: "Time has shown how many birds have actually flown. We haven't failed Operation Lotus, you yourself have done so."
As the Assembly session resumed at 1 pm, Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal tabled a proposal for a trust vote, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Congress Chief Whip, Dr Mahesh Joshi said: "We have moved the Motion of Confidence in the Assembly. Up to Speaker C P Joshi now on when he takes it up."
The Congress today issued a whip to all its MLAs, asking them to be present in the House for the Assembly session. The whip was issued by Mahesh Joshi.
Due to heavy rainfall and water logging, several MLAs from the Gehlot camp are yet to reach the Assembly. Keeping this in mind, the Assembly was adjourned to 1 pm today.
Ahead of the Assembly session, Gehlot tweeted: "As the Legislative Assembly session begins today, it would be the victory of the people of #Rajasthan and the unity of our Congress MLAs, it would be a victory of truth: Satyamev Jayate."
On his arrival at the Assembly, Rajasthan minister Shanti Dhariwal told news agency ANI: "We are bringing a vote of confidence, it always comes first. We have a big majority."
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Congress leader Sachin Pilot arrived at the Rajasthan Assembly today.
The BSP yesterday issued a whip for the second time to six of its MLAs in Rajasthan to vote against the Congress in any no-confidence motion or any other proceedings in state Assembly. "All six MLAs have been directed under para 2(1)(a) of the Xth Schedule to vote against the Congress Party in any No-Confidence motion or any other proceedings to be held during the Assembly session of Rajasthan Assembly and if they violate the same they will face disqualification under para 2(1)(b) of the Xth Schedule," a press note by the party read.
The political crises in Manipur and Rajasthan, for the time being, have been averted. But, writes Chakshu Roy, head of legislative and civic engagement at PRS Legislative Research, “the constitutional provisions related to the anti-defection law have been reduced to a joke”. The anti-defection law is supposed to deter MLAs from defecting from their political parties. They can lose their seats in the legislature for defying their party. And if declared a defector, they cannot become a minister in a government for six months. “MLAs and political parties have become adept at using and bypassing the anti-defection law,” says Roy. One of them is that it only punishes MLAs for switching parties. Political parties who are at the heart of our politics have no liability under the law. They benefit from defections and are often accused of enticing MLAs of rival parties to switch loyalties. Other enactments responsible for the cleansing of our politics face a similar problem. Click here to read more.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant any interim relief on a plea of a BJP MLA seeking a stay on the Rajasthan Speaker's decision that had allowed the six BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, briefly heard the parties including the counsel for BJP MLA Madan Dilawar who said that these six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs have been wrongly allowed by the assembly speaker to merge with the ruling Congress party. On being told that the Rajasthan High Court is scheduled to hear the case on Friday, the bench, which also comprised Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said, "We are not passing any interim orders. Any transaction that takes place (in the assembly) will obviously be subject to the court's order." The apex court then deferred the hearing on the plea to August 17.
The Rajasthan High Court will resume hearing today the petitions filed by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar and the BSP challenging the merger of six MLAs with the Congress. After hearing arguments yesterday, the single judge bench posted the matter for hearing on Friday as half day was observed in the court on Thursday. The petitioners have challenged the merger of the six MLAs- Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha-with the Congress and demanded a stay on the execution of the order passed by the speaker in this regard.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje said: “Some people are spreading news about discord in the BJP. I would like to tell them that BJP is a family, and we are all pledged and united to take it forward. Rajmataji had taught me that the party in which I am a worker, for it the nation is supreme, and I am following in her footsteps.” She also met Governor Kalraj Mishra at the Raj Bhavan.
The BJP, meanwhile, decided to move a motion of no-confidence against the Gehlot government in the Assembly Friday. The BJP took the decision during a meeting of its legislature party and that of its ally, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), at the BJP headquarters Thursday. “It is possible that the government from its own end moves a trust vote. They will do their job, but we will move a motion of no-confidence against the government tomorrow on behalf of the BJP and its allies,” Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said after the meeting. “Even now, there are attempts to patch up. One is heading east while the other is heading west. Under such circumstances, I don’t think the government will last long. Despite attempts to stitch, the clothes (of the government) are torn,” Kataria said. Others at the meeting included former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the party’s national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, national vice president and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna. Signatures were obtained from all MLAs present at the meeting in favour of the no-confidence motion.
AICC general secretary Venugopal said, “The whole country and Congress workers across India are watching Sachinji’s coming here today, and it has given strength to the Congress party in the whole country, not just in Rajasthan.” He also said it would have affected the party’s future “if something were to go wrong”. Venugopal conveyed Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s message to Gehlot and Pilot: desist from interviews and statements. He said a “post-mortem” has been conducted and the party high command has “requested everyone, including the Chief Minister, including Sachin Pilotji, including all MLAs: no interview, no statement”.
In his first address following his removal as party’s state president, Pilot “thanked every single MLA who supported me in those five years”. He also said if “jaane anjane mein (unintentionally)” he had said something (which hurt anyone), then it was not his intention or sentiment.
Sachin Pilot was among the first to reach the CM residence, on Thursday, where he was welcomed by Govind Singh Dotasra, the man who replaced him as the state Congress president. He sat with Dotasra and AICC leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, KC Venugopal, Avinash Pande and Ajay Maken, before Gehlot joined them. The leaders then moved outdoors for the CLP meeting. Pilot sat next to the Chief Minister; also flanking Pilot was Pande with whom he had differences in the past. Pilot thanked Sonia Gandhi and Gehlot for being made the party’s state president and then Deputy CM. He also thanked Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for listening to his and the other MLAs’ “suggestions on how to be a more responsive government and how to be more flexible in order to seek re-election three years later. It is a good thing the party heard us and established a road map on how to implement those things”.
Ahead of the CLP meeting on Thursday, the Congress withdrew the suspension of rebel MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh — their names had come up in audio tapes which were shared by the party with the Special Operations Group.
On Thursday, sources quoted CM Gehlot as saying “we would have gone for a floor test without some of our friends (the rebel MLAs) and perhaps the government would have been saved, but honestly, hamare dil mein woh khushi nahin hoti (we wouldn’t have been happy deep inside). Hamare hamare hi hote hain, paraye paraye hi hote hain (our dear ones are our own, outsiders are outsiders)”. He said if anyone has any complaint about him or the ministers, then he and the ministers will try to address them. All MLAs then raised their hands to express confidence in him. “Consider it a bad dream which is over, the entire family is together now,” the CM said.
On Thursday, a handshake between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and rival Sachin Pilot, removed as Deputy Chief Minister following a rebellion last month, reaffirmed the truce secured by the Congress leadership ahead of the Assembly session today. Pilot and his rebel MLAs reached Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur for a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party where the leaders of the two camps shook hands, raised victory signs and posed for cameras. Before they arrived, Gehlot had already spoken on the “need to forgive and forget in the interest of the country, state, people” and move ahead. At the meeting, Gehlot said his government will go for a trust vote in the House “and show the power of Congress”. Party sources confirmed that he will seek a trust vote Friday itself.
A special sitting of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is likely be held today, during which the ruling Congress is likely to move a confidence motion while the BJP is expected to seek a no-confidence motion. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said his government would seek a trust vote and “show the power of the Congress”. He has the support of at least 107 MLAs in the 200-member House, while Opposition BJP has 72. Follow this live blog for all the latest updates.