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Rajasthan: Two more ministers who joined Sachin Pilot revolt was also dropped
New Delhi:
The Congress today initiated moves to disqualify Sachin Pilot and other dissident Rajasthan MLAs for anti-party activities. Nineteen rebels have been issued notice by the assembly Speaker and asked to respond by Friday. Removing the rebels from the equation will place the Congress government in Rajasthan at an advantage by bringing down the majority-mark in a floor test. Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion has pushed the Congress to the edge in the second state in three months, is likely to address the media later today.
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The notice to Sachin Pilot and other rebel MLAs asks them why they should not be disqualified for anti-party activities and for skipping two meetings of Congress legislators.
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Sachin Pilot was on Tuesday sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and removed as state Congress chief. Two more ministers who have joined him were also dropped. “The truth can be harassed but not defeated,” Sachin Pilot reacted in a tweet.
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Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is likely to rework his cabinet today to fill vacancies and possibly accommodate more to keep his flock together.
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The Congress has 100 MLAs, the half-way mark in the 200-member assembly. Sachin Pilot has at least 20 MLAs on his side – 17 Congress and three independent legislators.
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Mr Gehlot has sequestered Congress MLAs at a resort where they were taken straight from a show of strength at the Chief Minister’s home on Monday. Every Congress MLA has a police escort now.
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Before Sachin Pilot’s rebellion, the Congress had 107 MLAs besides the support of 13 independents and five members from smaller parties. That number has now come down to 90 Congress MLAs, seven independent members and three from smaller parties.
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The Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), which has two MLAs in the Rajasthan assembly, withdrew support from the government yesterday.
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The MLAs shared two videos and alleged that the police had stopped them from leaving Jaipur and had even snatched their car keys in a “hostage-like” situation. They later left after the Chief Minister’s intervention.
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Bruised by Jyotiraditya Scindia’s exit three months ago, which contributed to the Congress collapse in Madhya Pradesh, the party made several attempt to reach out to Sachin Pilot and many leaders said how things went down was “sad”.
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Mr Pilot has so far denied that he is headed to the BJP. But his arch-nemesis and former boss Ashok Gehlot yesterday accused the BJP of using him to destabilize his government and attempt a coup.
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