ANI has quoted sources as saying, "It is likely that after the CLP meeting, a whip will be issued by the party and absentees will have to face the consequences but nothing has been finalized yet. Final decision will be taken after this meeting of Ajay Maken, Randeep Surjewala, Avinash Pande & Gehlot."
News18 has reported that Congress leaders party leaders Randeep Surjewala, Avinash Pande and Ajay Maken are currently in a meeting with Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot
Avinash Pande, the Congress' general secretary-in charge for Rajasthan, has sought to put on a brave face as he has been quoted by ANI as saying, "The Congress government is stable. Whoever these people (who are seeking to destabilise the government) are, we will take them head on."
ANI has quoted sources as saying, "It is likely that after the CLP meeting, a whip will be issued by the party and absentees will have to face the consequences but nothing has been finalized yet. Final decision will be taken after this meeting of Ajay Maken, Randeep Surjewala, Avinash Pande & Gehlot."
NDTV quoted Rajasthan Congress leader Archana Sharma as saying, "We are sure that the majority of MLAs are with us. The Congress government is intact and very strong in Rajasthan."
News18 has reported that Congress leaders party leaders Randeep Surjewala, Avinash Pande and Ajay Maken are currently in a meeting with Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot
Avinash Pande, the Congress' general secretary-in charge for Rajasthan, has sought to put on a brave face as he has been quoted by ANI as saying, "The Congress government is stable. Whoever these people (who are seeking to destabilise the government) are, we will take them head on."
Earlier in the day, NDTV quoted Rohit Bohra, one of the MLAs who went to Delhi, as saying that he, along with two other MLAs, had visited the capital 'on their own errands.'
"We are Congressmen. We are committed to the Congress party," Bohra is reported to have said.
News18 has quoted sources as saying that the BJP will wait for the Congress' Legislature Party meet tomorrow. The meeting will show the number of MLAs who are with Sachin Pilot, the sources are reported to have said.
Jaipur: Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot's meeting with party MLAs has concluded. Congress MLA Rajendra Gudda says, "Gehlot ji has the majority. We are also making efforts and some BJP MLAs are in our contact. We will bring more MLAs from BJP than we would lose." pic.twitter.com/r2ZhVsWC5d
— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2020
PTI has quoted Sachin Pilot as saying that 30 MLAs are backing him and that the Ashok Gehlot-led government is in a minority. The agency further reports that Pilot will skip the Congress' Rajasthan Legislature Party meet tomorrow.
Gehlot-Pilot power struggle: Quick Recap
A power struggle between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, which has been on since the Congress'' central leadership picked the senior leader for the chief minister''s post, appears to have deepened with those in Pilot''s camp claiming that there have been repeated attempts to undermine his authority.
The latest flashpoint between the two is a notice issued to Pilot by the Rajasthan police''s Special Operation Group in the case related to alleged attempts to bribe Congress MLAs to switch sides in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Gehlot, however, has pointed out that a similar notice has been sent to him, the government''s chief whip as well as some ministers.
Rajasthan Political Crisis LATEST Updates | The Congress leadership has sent two of its senior leaders - Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala-- as central observers to Jaipur to talk to its legislators and save its government.
Avinash Pande, the Congress' general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan said, "The Congress government is stable. Whoever these people (who are seeking to destabilise the government) are, we will take them head on."
PTI has quoted Sachin Pilot as saying that 30 MLAs are backing him and that the Ashok Gehlot-led government is in a minority.
As the Congress grappled with factionalism in Rajasthan, its general secretary in-charge for the state Avinash Pande on Sunday said that all party MLAs were in touch with him and the government will complete its term.
Pande also wondered who were the MLAs who are purported to have sided with Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.
Pande alleged that the BJP is trying to destabilise the Congress government in Rajasthan.
"Their attempt is to create an atmosphere of uncertainty in Rajasthan. But, they will not succeed in their attempts," he noted.
Meanwhile, the three Congress MLAs, who had left for Delhi and were being counted among those in Pilot’s camp in the power tussle in Rajasthan, on Sunday said they will follow the party line.
Addressing a press conference at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s home here, Rohit Bohra, Danish Abrar and Chetan Dudi called themselves “soldiers” of the party and said they will do whatever the top leadership tells them.
The MLAs said their visit to Delhi was a normal affair and the media should not speculate over it.
“We are with the Congress Party which gave us tickets. The media trial, which is going on, has no sense. We are soldiers of the party and will remain so for lifetime,” Bohra said.
He said they had long association with the Congress and the media should not indulge in speculation.
“I have been going to Delhi since childhood. Visiting Delhi is a normal affair but this time, it was made special,” Danish Abrar said taking a swipe at the media.
"We are soldiers of the Congress Party at any cost,” he said.
Chetan Dudi said they have full faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Pilot, who has been engaged in a power tussle with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, continues to be incommunicado, leading to anxiety in the state unit.
Pande told PTI that he had not spoken to Pilot for the last two days and had left a message with him.
"All Congress MLAs are in touch with me and the government in Rajasthan is stable and will last its full term," he said.
The Congress general secretary said party chief Sonia Gandhi has been updated on developments in Rajasthan.
"I have not talked to Pilot for the last two days and I''m trying to reach out to him. I have left messages for him," he told PTI.
Calls and messages to Pilot went unanswered.
Sources said a few MLAs loyal to him are currently camping in the national capital, and some of them were lodged in a resort near Gurgaon.
Pande also said that everyone should cooperate in the investigation being carried out by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police.
The SOG had registered an FIR based on tapped phone conversation between two men over alleged attempts to bribe Congress MLAs to topple the Gehlot government .
"Everyone should cooperate with Rajasthan SOG. There is no harm in joining the probe," he said.
A power struggle between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, which has been on since the Congress'' central leadership picked the senior leader for the chief minister''s post, appears to have deepened with those in Pilot''s camp claiming that there have been repeated attempts to undermine his authority.
The latest flashpoint between the two is a notice issued to Pilot by the Rajasthan police''s Special Operation Group in the case related to alleged attempts to bribe Congress MLAs to switch sides in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Gehlot, however, has pointed out that a similar notice has been sent to him, the government''s chief whip as well as some ministers.
Gehlot had on Saturday accused the opposition BJP of trying to topple his government by offering legislators large sums of money and said his administration is not just stable but will complete its five-year term.
The BJP had asked Gehlot to prove his allegation of horse-trading or quit politics, and claimed he was targeting the opposition party as he was unable to check the infighting in the state Congress.
With inputs from PTI
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