Rajasthan: BSP issues whip to six Rajasthan MLAs, asks them not to vote in favour of Congress

03:12 August 14

Ahead of Assembly session Vasundhara Raje slams Gehlot govt

Ahead of the Assembly session beginning Friday, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Thursday said that the Ashok Gehlot led Congress government won’t last long and there is no misunderstanding in our government.

"Our BJP government served Rajasthan with full solidarity for 10 years and took the state to the heights of development. But the Congress government did not do anything except change the name of our schemes, due to which most development work is pending in the state," Raje tweeted.

02:50 August 14

Venugopal urges MLAs not to give any interviews in media

In a meeting of MLAs on Thursday, senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said," I request all of you not to give any interviews in the media. This message has come from Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. We want a stable government in the state. So CM Gehlot, Sachin Pilot and all the MLAs should refrain from making statements and giving interviews in the media."

Notably, the end of political dispute, which began after Pilot revolted against Gehlot, comes just days ahead of the Assembly session in Rajasthan on August 14. 

23:55 August 13

BSP issues whip to six Rajasthan MLAs

BSP issues whip to six Rajasthan MLAs, asks them not to vote in favour of Congress

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has issued a whip to six of its MLAs in Rajasthan who joined the Congress party. The BSP directed them to vote against Congress in 'any No Confidence-Motion'. Reportedly, hearing in the case of six MLAs who left BSP to join Congress is due in the Rajasthan High Court on Friday morning.

19:41 August 13

Congress Legislative Party meeting ends

Congress MLAs leave from the residence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Jaipur, after the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting ended late evening today.

While speaking to media CM Gehlot said, "We could have proved the majority even without these 19 MLAs (Sachin Pilot & 18 MLAs who were supporting him) but it would not have given us happiness. We will bring a Vote of Confidence."

19:39 August 13

Raj govt will complete its 5-year term under Gehlot's leadership: Pilot camp MLA Vishvendra Singh

Rajasthan Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh, who was among the 19 rebel legislators, Thursday said the state government will complete its five-year tenure under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
His statement came hours after his suspension from the party's primary membership was revoked. The former tourism minister also said he is a worker of the Congress party and will fulfil any responsibility given to him. 
It is our duty that the MLAs remain protected and no vindictive action is taken. The high command has assured us so, he told a news agency before his suspension was revoked.

He said there were certain issues that prevented the rebel MLAs, led by ex-deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, from coming back to Rajasthan from the Delhi-NCR, where they were camping during the month-long rebellion. 

The party high command has intervened and we are assured that everything will be fine, he said. Far more serious conflicts have happened within the party in the past, but the party emerged united and victorious always, he said. 
We are in the process of dialogue and the high command is intervening, he said. 
"Things will definitely smoothen within the party, he added. "The government will complete its five-year term under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot."
Rejecting allegations that the rebel MLAs' intentions were to topple the Gehlot government, Singh said they had gone to narrate certain things to the party high command, but false cases were registered by the Rajasthan police, therefore they were not comfortable coming back. 

19:01 August 13

Situation in Rajasthan Congress due to internal rift, BJP has got nothing to with it: Narendra Singh Tomar

The problems in Rajasthan unit of Congress are due to their internal issues, the BJP has got nothing to do with it and they will be the only ones responsible, if and when the government falls in the state, said Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday. 

"I want to tell the Congress leaders and the Chief Minister that they should not put the burden of their failures on someone else's shoulder. The situation in Congress is due to their differences and internal rift, BJP has nothing to do with, whenever the Congress government (in the state) falls, it will be because of their own doings," Tomar told reporters.

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development was talking to reporters after having participated in a meeting with BJP MLAs from Rajasthan. 

"The new Central government schemes for agriculture and NEP (National Education Policy) were discussed in the meeting and the involvement of our leaders for their proper implementation was also discussed," he said. He also refuted the allegation about any rifts within BJP in the state.

18:02 August 13

More than 100 Cong MLAs attend CLP meet at CM's residence

More than 100 Congress MLAs attend Legislature Party meeting at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence. Sachin Pilot is also present in the meeting. 

Party leaders K C Venugopal, Avinash Pande, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken and Govind Singh Dotasra were also there at the meeting, posing together for the cameras at Gehlot's official residence.

17:36 August 13

Pilot meets Gehlot, handshake signals his return

Sachin Pilot met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday, the first time after he openly rebelled against the senior leader a month back. 

Party leaders K C Venugopal, Avinash Pande, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken and Govind Singh Dotasra were also there at the meeting, posing together for the cameras at Gehlot's official residence.

Pilot and Gehlot shook hands in a moment marking the return of the sacked deputy chief minister and 18 other dissident MLAs to the party-fold, after the intervention earlier this week by the top Congress leadership in Delhi.

17:20 August 13

8 Cong MLA's reach CM Gehlot's residence for meeting

As many as eight Congress MLAs reached CM Ashok Gehlot's residence, to attend Congress Legislature Party meeting, ahead of the special session of the Rajasthan Assembly tomorrow.

16:49 August 13

Rajasthan Cong revokes suspension of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh

The Congress has revoked the suspension of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh, who were suspended from the party's primary membership last month over their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state. The assembly session in the state will begin on Friday. 

16:46 August 13

Pilot reaches CM Gehlot's residence to attend Legislature party meet

Pilot reaches CM Gehlot's residence to attend Legislature party meet

Rebellion Congress leader Sachin Pilot reached Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence, to attend Congress Legislature Party, ahead of the special session of the Rajasthan assembly tomorrow. This is his first meet with CM Ashok Gehlot since Rajasthan political crisis.

16:26 August 13

BJP to move no-confidence motion in Assembly tomorrow

Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria said that the party is bringing a no-confidence motion in the Assembly along with their allies on Friday.

"There are a lot of differences in the government. The way they have struggled, there are chances that they might bring a vote of confidence in the Assembly but we are also ready to bring a no-confidence motion," said Kataria to ETV Bharat.

The opposition party's decision comes days after an "amicable resolution" of the nearly month-long political crisis in Rajasthan. 

Congress leader Sachin Pilot had openly rebelled against chief minister Gehlot last month along with 18 other party MLAs. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's Rajasthan chief.

The Congress on Monday had said the crisis in Rajasthan was a "closed chapter" and all legislators supporting its government will work towards strengthening the state government and fighting COVID-19 and economic calamities.

16:21 August 13

BJP will bring no-confidence motion against government in Vidhan Sabha session, decision taken in Legislature Party meeting

Jaipur (Rajasthan): The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) is set to meet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday at 5 pm at his residence in Jaipur.

On August 11, the first CLP meeting since a chance of reconciliation between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot was held at Suryagarh hotel in Jaisalmer.

The reconciliation has come right ahead of the commencement of the session of the Rajasthan Assembly on August 14. Earlier in the day, Gehlot said whatever misunderstanding occurred within the Congress party in the last one month, need to be forgiven and forgotten in the interest of the country, state, people and in the interest of democracy.

Last month, Pilot was removed as Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief after his differences with Gehlot came out in open triggering a political crisis in the state. Pilot was reportedly miffed after the SOG sent him a notice to record his statement in a case of alleged poaching of Congress MLAs in the state. However, this apparently seems to have ended now as Pilot has agreed to work for the party after a meeting with the Congress top leadership.