Senior Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated before the Rajasthan Court that Sachin Pilot and 18 other congress rebels will not be disqualified by the speaker till 21st July 2020 i.e. Tuesday.
The MLAs will be given time to respond to disqualification notices for “anti-party activities” which were challenged in court.
Congress has suspended two of its rebels alleging that they were conspiring about their government in the meanwhile. The party also named Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who called the audio as “fake”. Two police cases were filed on the allegations.
10 Important points about Rajasthan crisis:
- Rajasthan police landed up at two resorts at Manesar near Delhi to arrest Bhanwar Lal Sharma who the congress alleges to be one of the MLAs discussing bribes with BJP as part of the conspiracy against Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan.
- Haryana police also showed up with Rajasthan cops. The congress has said that Mr. Pilot has desperately put up the rebels at hotels in BJP ruled Haryana.
- The congress at a media briefing read the transcripts of Mr. Shekhawat and rebel MLAs. The Congress alleged that the voices were of the rebels.
- The Union Minister called them fake and stated was ready for any investigation. Mr. Shekhawat said “The audio doesn’t have my voice. If I am called for questioning, I will definitely go.”
- The BJP accused Congress of phone tapping. BJP’s Rajasthan chief Satish Poonia said “Did the government tap phones? You cannot tap phones without proper permission. The court doesn’t accept such tapes. This is like the Watergate scandal.”
- Team Pilot has to win this battle. If the rebel MLAs are disqualified it will be easy for Ashok Gehlot to win a floor test. If the rebels vote in the assembly, the Congress Government could fall. Mr. Gehlot needs 101 MLAs to vote for him in the 200-member assembly and claims he has the support of 106.
- Mr. Pilot has been in Delhi since the weekend with 20 rebel MLAs. Ashok Gehlot escalated after he was asked to answer questions on the alleged conspiracy to bring down the government in which he was number two. As he skipped the meetings called by CM, the pilot was removed from the post of Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief. But in Delhi, the congress leadership continues its efforts to bring him down.
- Mr. Gehlot told News18India “I have not been speaking to Pilot for the last year-and-a-half” though he added, “I am not against Sachin Pilot and Rahul Gandhi knows this. Even if he decides to come back, I will hug him with love.”
- Mr. Gehlot had alleged “We have proof that horse-trading was being committed. Rs 20 Crore was offered... Our deputy chief minister himself was doing the deal and was giving statements that no horse-trading was taking place. What clarifications are you giving when you were involved in it.”
- The team pilot stated that he could not join Mr. Gehlot’s meetings as he was ‘aggrieved’. He also stated that if the team could trust Congress’s assurance anymore. They said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke to him on Tuesday and said she would speak to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. But later after three hours, he was removed from his posts in Rajasthan.
