Rajasthan tussle : Speaker issues notices to rebel MLAs

A day after Congress leader Sachin Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister, Speaker CP Joshi’s office has issued notice to 19 rebel MLAs seeking their reply by July 17. The notice was reportedly issued on July 14 when Congress Chief whip Mahesh Joshi had petitioned Speaker CP Joshi for exclusion of rebel MLAs.

Dousing the rumours about joining Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Sachin Pilot clarified again that he won’t be joining BJP. “Some leaders in Rajasthan are trying to fuel speculation that I am joining BJP ,but I am not doing so. I have worked very hard to bring Congress back in government in Rajasthan. I will not join BJP,” he said to the media.

The statement came hours after BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told reporters that his party’s doors are open to anyone who express trust in its ideology.

The current crisis began on July 10 when Rajasthan police sent a notice to Mr Pilot, asking him to record his statement over an alleged attempt to bring down the government. Pilot supporters claimed that it was only meant to humiliate him.

Pilot and his supporters threatened to leave the party and for his actions he was removed from the posts of Deputy Chief Minister and as Congress Committee president.

Meanwhile, Congress on July 14 suspended Sanjay Jha from the party for defending Sachin Pilot. He appeared on one of the television channels and criticised Congress. After Pilot was removed as deputy CM and as state president, Jha tweeted , “For five years, Sachin Pilot gave his blood , tears and toil and sweat for Congress between 2013-18. Congress came back from a wretched 21 seats to 100. We just gave him a performance bonus. We are so meritocratic. We are so transparent.