'Over Rs.500 crore collected from Mumbai for toppling Rajasthan govt':Maharashtra Congress

On Friday, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant claimed that over Rs.500 crore has been collected from Mumbai to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan. He was reacting on Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala's accusation of BJP indulging in horse-trading. Without revealing more details, Sawant tweeted that he had spoken to Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, urging him to examine this matter and uncover the masterminds. 

Read: Rajasthan Govt Crisis LIVE Updates: HC Adjourns Pilot Plea To Monday; SOG Reaches Haryana

Two MLAs suspended

Addressing the media earlier in the day, Surjewala announced the suspension of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh for being involved in the conspiracy to topple the government. The aforesaid MLAs are a part of the Sachin Pilot camp lodged at a hotel in Haryana. He mentioned that two audio recordings had surfaced in which Sharma, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and another person Sanjay Jain are purportedly talking about this conspiracy. Demanding Shekhawat's arrest, he added that chief whip Mahesh Joshi had submitted a complaint to Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group for registration of an FIR in the matter. While Jain has already been arrested by the SOG, both Sharma and Shekhawat have denied that the voice in the tape is theirs. 

Read: Rajasthan Crisis: FIRS Lodged On Complaints Of Horse Trading

Rajasthan HC adjourns hearing of Pilot's plea

Pilot’s departure to Delhi with some of his supporting legislators on July 11 set off alarm bells in the Congress camp. As per sources, he had a one-to-one meeting with senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, where he listed a long list of grievances. Some of the MLAs from the Pilot camp are believed to be lodged at Gurugram as well. Additionally, sources revealed that Pilot had sought a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the step-motherly treatment being meted out to his faction.

On July 13, the Congress Legislative Party in Rajasthan passed a resolution unanimously supporting the state government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The MLAs also condemned all acts intended to weaken the government. They also called for strict disciplinary action to be taken against any Congress MLA or office-bearer of the party directly or indirectly involved in anti-party activities. However, Sachin Pilot and his loyalists stayed away from this meeting.

Moreover, they rejected the Congress party's overtures by refusing to attend the second CLP meeting convened on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sachin Pilot and 18 supporting MLAs challenged the Assembly Speaker's disqualification notice in the Rajasthan High Court. The disqualification notice has been challenged on the grounds that the Assembly is not in session and that the MLAs had not indulged in anti-party activities. The division bench of the HC adjourned the matter once again on Friday to 10 am on July 20. In a reprive for Pilot and his group of MLAs, the Speaker assured not to take any action against them till 5.30 pm on July 21.

Read: Rajasthan SoG Reaches ITC Manesar To Issue Notice To Pilot Camp;Haryana Police Allow Entry

Read: Gajendra Shekhawat 'Ready To Face Probe'; Says Voice In Congress' Rajasthan Tape Isn't His