Rajasthan crisis: CM Ashok Gehlot calls Cabinet meet at 12:30 noon; Congress to stage state-wide protest against BJP

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will on Saturday hold another Cabinet meeting to discuss the political situation in the state. According to reports, the meeting will take place at 12:30 noon at the Fairmont Hotel where the MLAs of Gehlot camp are staying. 

During the meeting, the ministers will discuss the objections raised by Governor Kalraj Mishra in holding Assembly sessions. 

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, facing a revolt by some Congress MLAs led by Sachin Pilot, chaired a meeting of the Cabinet on Friday night to discuss the points raised by the governor on its earlier proposal. "Discussions on the points raised by the governor with regard to calling the Assembly session were held in the meeting last night," a source told PTI, adding that the Cabinet is likely to meet again on Saturday.

A revised proposal will be forwarded to the governor after approval by the Cabinet.

The Congress government is pushing for a session of the Assembly so that the chief minister can prove his majority on the floor of the House after the Rajasthan High Court on Friday ordered that status quo should be maintained on the disqualification notices sent out by the Speaker to Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Meanwhile, Congress will hold a protest at all district headquarters in Rajasthan against BJP's alleged conspiracy to murder democracy on Saturday. ON July 24, Congress former chief Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of a conspiracy to bring down party government in Rajasthan and said the state Governor should call an assembly session so that the truth comes out before people.

Rahul's remarks came amid a factional fight in the state Congress between camps led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.

Rajasthan plunged into a political crisis after differences between Pilot and Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the deputy CM of Rajasthan and as the state unit chief of the party on July 14.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi sent disqualification notices to Pilot and 18 other legislators from the Assembly due to their absenteeism in Congress Legislative Party meetings held on July 12 and 13. Raising objections to the notices served by the Speaker, Pilot camp filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court seeking its dismissal.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi has sent disqualification notices to Pilot and 18 MLAs. Pilot and MLAs supporting him have approached the Rajasthan High Court against the notices.