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JAIPUR: Amid the pangs of its Punjab headache, Rajasthan has raised its hand to present Congress with a new problem to solve. Four of the six BSP-turned-Congress legislators from the desert state on Thursday reached New Delhi to seek “legal and political” support to save their places in the face of a Supreme Court petition challenging their assembly membership under the anti-defection law.
BSP and BJP had filed petitions in the apex court and the Rajasthan high court soon after Sachin Pilot revolted against CM Ashok Gehlot’s leadership last year. On September 21, the SC directed the six MLAs to submit their response within four weeks.
If all six turncoat MLAs lose their assembly membership, Congress would be reduced to 100 seats in the 200-member House, in which case the Pilot camp’s support would become even more crucial to the stability of the Gehlot government. There are 71 BJP MLAs and 13 independents, besides others, in the state assembly. Two seats are vacant, for which bypolls are scheduled for October 30.
The group of six ex-BSP MLAs, whose merger with Congress was orchestrated by Gehlot in 2019, is said to be miffed with the Congress central and state leadership for not providing either “strong legal support” or accommodating them in the government.
Sources said they were open to seeking political support outside Congress, if it comes to that. But Wajib Ali, one of the four MLAs camping in Delhi, contested talk of him or his colleagues deserting Congress.
MLA Joginder Singh Awana, who along with MLA Deepchand Kharia, has stayed back in Rajasthan, told the media in Jaipur that he was unaware of his four colleagues planning to meet BSP supremo Mayawati or Union home minister Amit Shah. “We recently received a SC notice asking for a reply in four weeks; so maybe my colleagues were a bit disturbed. We joined Congress after following all legal procedures and will stay with it. Congress has a strong legal team to defend our case in the apex court,” Awana said after meeting CM Gehlot.
Awana is likely to join the four MLAs — Ali, Rajendra Singh Gudha, Lakhan Singh and Sandeep Yadav — in Delhi soon. The quartet met senior lawyer Devdutt Kamat in Delhi on Thursday.
BSP state president Bhagwan Singh Baba, who moved the apex court against his former colleagues, told TOI, “We will not accept them back in the party at any cost. They have cheated us twice. All six will lose their memberships; we have faith in the court.”
Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariya dismissed reports that the six MLAs were seeking political support outside Congress as they were disappointed at being “ignored” for long. “All six are now an integral part of Congress and there is no threat to their assembly membership. We will not let any injustice happen to them,” the minister said. Khachariyawas claimed there was no threat to the stability of the Congress government in Rajasthan.”
BSP and BJP had filed petitions in the apex court and the Rajasthan high court soon after Sachin Pilot revolted against CM Ashok Gehlot’s leadership last year. On September 21, the SC directed the six MLAs to submit their response within four weeks.
If all six turncoat MLAs lose their assembly membership, Congress would be reduced to 100 seats in the 200-member House, in which case the Pilot camp’s support would become even more crucial to the stability of the Gehlot government. There are 71 BJP MLAs and 13 independents, besides others, in the state assembly. Two seats are vacant, for which bypolls are scheduled for October 30.
The group of six ex-BSP MLAs, whose merger with Congress was orchestrated by Gehlot in 2019, is said to be miffed with the Congress central and state leadership for not providing either “strong legal support” or accommodating them in the government.
Sources said they were open to seeking political support outside Congress, if it comes to that. But Wajib Ali, one of the four MLAs camping in Delhi, contested talk of him or his colleagues deserting Congress.
MLA Joginder Singh Awana, who along with MLA Deepchand Kharia, has stayed back in Rajasthan, told the media in Jaipur that he was unaware of his four colleagues planning to meet BSP supremo Mayawati or Union home minister Amit Shah. “We recently received a SC notice asking for a reply in four weeks; so maybe my colleagues were a bit disturbed. We joined Congress after following all legal procedures and will stay with it. Congress has a strong legal team to defend our case in the apex court,” Awana said after meeting CM Gehlot.
Awana is likely to join the four MLAs — Ali, Rajendra Singh Gudha, Lakhan Singh and Sandeep Yadav — in Delhi soon. The quartet met senior lawyer Devdutt Kamat in Delhi on Thursday.
BSP state president Bhagwan Singh Baba, who moved the apex court against his former colleagues, told TOI, “We will not accept them back in the party at any cost. They have cheated us twice. All six will lose their memberships; we have faith in the court.”
Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariya dismissed reports that the six MLAs were seeking political support outside Congress as they were disappointed at being “ignored” for long. “All six are now an integral part of Congress and there is no threat to their assembly membership. We will not let any injustice happen to them,” the minister said. Khachariyawas claimed there was no threat to the stability of the Congress government in Rajasthan.”
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