Rajasthan governor returns proposal; asks govt if it will take floor test

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

Rajasthan political crisis seems nowhere near end with Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot continuing to engage in a battle of nerves over a plain issue of calling an assembly session.

Two days after the Gehlot-led cabinet sent a fresh proposal to the governor asking for a session from July 31 and answering his queries, the governor on Monday returned the proposal to the Chief Minister asking him categorically if he wanted to take a floor test during the proposed session.

In the revised proposal to the governor, who earlier flagged the part about missing agenda in the first cabinet note on the session, the state cabinet had mentioned COVID-19 as the principal agenda along with other political matters and had also said the governor did not have the right to seek the session agenda before the session is called.

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“Listing of the agenda is the prerogative of the government and is done once the session is notified,” Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said, adding that if the governor house didn’t know this elementary fact, it indicated a sorry state of affairs.

The Governor on Monday sent back the cabinet note asking if a floor test would be held and also saying the government should consider giving a 21-day notice to the MLAs.

The Congress had earlier clarified to the Governor that sessions had been called at short notices and even at five-day notices in the past.

The Congress doesn’t want to specify the political agenda for the session and says the agenda would be fixed by the business advisory committee once the session is notified.

Singhvi, on Sunday, said the Governor was powerless in the matters where he was supposed to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.

“Calling an assembly session is one such area,” Singhvi added.

The Congress has also made it clear that the battle of Rajasthan would be fought on the floor of the assembly and not in courts.

As reported by The Tribune on Sunday, the Speaker on Monday withdrew his Special Leave Petition in the SC that had challenged the previous Rajasthan HC order asking the Speaker not to act on the disqualification notices of rebel MLAs until Friday last.

Since the HC has pronounced a final order of status quo on the matter, the SLP in the Apex Court had turned infructuous.

Meanwhile, the Congress has been accusing the Governor of acting on the ruling BJP’s behest to dislodge the Rajasthan government and denying the government the Constitutional right of calling a session.

The party will also protest outside Raj Bhavans across the country today, alleging misuse of constitutional posts by the centre to topple democratically-elected governments.

In another trouble for Congress, the BSP today has issued directions to six of its Rajasthan MLAs, who earlier joined Congress, to vote against the Congress should a floor test happen.

Singhvi had made it clear on Sunday that the party would take a test of strength in the assembly.

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