A day ahead of the deadline set by Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi for the 19 rebel Congress MLAs to file their explanation on the party seeking their disqualification, they, including former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, approached the High Court. They requested the Court to quash the notice sent to them by Joshi.

This development happened even as the Congress moved to placate Pilot and make him to come back to the fold.

Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi had cited paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in his complaint demanding disqualification of the rebel MLAs. The Speaker had told BusinessLine on Wednesday that he will take a decision on the complaint on Friday after taking a look at the complaint.

Precedence available

Sources in Rajasthan Congress said the disqualification of 19 MLAs is possible as there are a number of Supreme Court verdicts that empower the Speaker to take such an action. The Congress’s plan is that if 19 MLAs get disqualified, the strength of the Assembly will come to 181 and the majority to retain power will be lowered to 91 seats, from the present 101. The Congress thinks that it can easily remain in power in such a scenario with the help of the independent MLAs, CPI(M), RLD and the Bharatiya Tribal Party.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Thursday that Pilot can think of ghar wapsi (going back to Congress). “False rumours spread to malign. Pilot: ‘I am not joining BJP’ I guess then legislators at a hotel in Manesar is merely a vacation in Haryana’s comfort zone under BJP’s watchful eye. What about ‘ ghar wapsi ’,” Sibal asked on Twitter.

The Congress believes that Pilot’s efforts did not succeed as he did not get enough support from the BJP and some MLAS did not stand by his plan to unseat the Ashok Gehlot government. A party leader from Rajasthan said Pilot has an “outsider” tag and it will not be easy for him to claim the top post in the State. “Even the BJP will not be happy to make him Chief Minister even if he gets 30 Congress MLAs as he claimed,” the leader added. The Congress believes that it is the BJP that is backing Pilot’s legal fight with Speaker Joshi.

Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Avinash Pande and Randeep Singh Surjewala had openly urged Pilot to mend his ways and come back to the fold. Senior leader Ahmed Patel had also reached out to Pilot, as also Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW