Rajasthan Guv summons Assembly session from Aug 14 on Ashok Gehlot govt's fourth proposal

In a massive development on Wednesday, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra approved the state government's proposal to summon the Assembly session from August 14. This development comes a few hours after the Ashok Gehlot-led government sent a revised proposal to the Rajasthan Governor containing a response to all his queries. Mishra has given directions for additional precautions to be taken during the Assembly session for the prevention of COVID-19. The session is being perceived as an opportunity for the Congress government to prove its majority amid the challenge posed by 19 MLAs of the Sachin Pilot camp. 

Read: Rajasthan Govt Crisis LIVE Updates: Speaker Moves HC; Governor Approves Assembly Session

Speaker challenges HC order

Pilot’s departure to Delhi with some of his supporting legislators on July 11 set off alarm bells in the Congress camp. The rift between CM Ashok Gehlot and him widened after the legislators belonging to his camp skipped two Legislative Party meetings. On July 24, a division bench of the Rajasthan HC comprising Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Prakash Gupta ordered a "status quo" on the Assembly Speaker's notices issued to sacked Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs. This implies that the Speaker cannot take any coercive action against the Pilot camp until the HC concludes hearing the matter. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Rajasthan HC's aforesaid order. 

Read: Rajasthan CM's Elder Brother Skips ED Summons, Asked To Appear For Questioning On August 4

Reasons for session sought

Earlier in the day, Mishra returned the state government's proposal to summon a special session of the Assembly for the third time in a row. On Tuesday, the Ashok Gehlot-led government had sent a revised proposal containing the response to the three queries posed by the Governor. According to Mishra, the state government insisted that he was not only bound to accept its recommendation but also had no right to know the reasons behind it.

At this juncture, the Governor highlighted that the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly rules mandated a 21-day notice to all the MLAs. Thereafter, he asked the Rajasthan government to furnish the reasons for demanding the Assembly session at such short notice. Mishra maintained that a floor test with social maintaining norms was a valid reason to summon the special Assembly session. At the same time, he opined that it would be appropriate to commence the Monsoon session of the Assembly with a notice of 21 days in the current circumstances.