The Congress sharpened its criticism against Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra amid reports that he is considering a recommendation of the Ashok Gehlot Cabinet that a session of the Assembly could be immediately convened.

Party spokespersons Abhishek Singhvi and Ajay Maken blamed that the Governor is not working as a Constitutional authority but is merely implementing the diktats of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Talking to reporters, Singhvi said Constitutional authorities are supposed not only to know their constitutional roles and boundaries but to scrupulously follow them in letter and spirit and promote the true intent of the framers who designed them. “Is it commonsensically conceivable that any Governor ever should refuse or delay the holding of a floor test, which truly determines who has the numbers? Do objections/queries, intended to delay and postpone the floor test, not let the cat out of the bag as to who really has the numbers?,” Singhvi asked.

He maintained that the Governor was comprehensively bound by the Cabinet. “The framers (of Constitution) repeatedly rejected the possibility of two competing executive authorities in one State that is Governor and Chief Minister. Clearly, some central governments and governors want to revive dyarchies,” he said.

Singhvi added that if the Governor’s office is unaware of the elementary fact that an agenda is sent after the date of the Assembly session is notified, then an extremely sorry state of affairs exists, where ignorance of basic procedures is bliss in causing unconstitutional delay. “The assembly and the Government will decide its agenda and issues for deliberation and it is unstatable that the Governor will query or interfere on such issues. In any event, the Cabinet’s subsequent listing of several issues for discussion in the Assembly, including the battle against Covid, demonstrates the hollowness of the query,” he claimed.

Maken accused the Centre on Sunday of conspiring to topple the Congress governments in various states, instead of fighting the financial crisis, Covid-19 and China.

Mishra has received a revised proposal from the state cabinet requesting that a session of the assembly be called on July 31, Raj Bhavan sources said on Sunday. The proposal was received late on Saturday night, they said.

Mishra had on Friday sought clarifications on six points from the state government, after Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan pressing for a Vidhan Sabha session. The dharna was called off, according to the Congress, after Mishra said he will abide by the Constitution but not act under any pressure. The governor asked Gehlot to submit again, with the clarifications, his recommendation for calling a session. A statement from the governor included queries on the free movement of MLAs and the reason why the session needed to be called urgently.

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