4th proposal didn’t mention agenda as Cong says Guv has no right to ask
The deadlock over convening the Rajasthan Assembly Session ended on Wednesday night as Governor Kalraj Mishra gave his approval to the Ashok Gehlot Government’s fourth proposal for the Session from August 14.
“The Rajasthan Governor has approved the Cabinet proposal to call the Assembly Session from August 14... He also gave verbal directions to make the necessary arrangements for the prevention of Covid-19 spread during the Session,” said a Raj Bhawan spokesperson.
After submitting the proposal, Transport Minister Pratap Khachariyawas said, “A notice of 21 days has been given to Governor to call Assembly session in fresh proposal. We hope the Governor will accept the proposal this time and announce the date to begin the session soon.”
Earlier, the Governor had stonewalled Gehlot’s attempt to convene a short session of the Assembly. He returned for the third time a proposal from the State Government to convene the Assembly from July 31, reiterating the Cabinet had refused to state the reason why it wanted a session at short notice.
The Governor had insisted that he would give his consent to hold a short session of the Assembly if Gehlot wants to convene it to prove his majority on the floor of the House otherwise the Government must give a 21-day notice.
The Congress, however, said the Governor has no right to ask for agenda of the House, which would be finalised by the Business Advisory committee.
Earlier, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of the party’s Rajya Sabha members at 10.30 am on Thursday to discuss the Rajasthan political crisis and the border row with China.
The Governor said if the Government was not stating the reason for holding a short-notice session, it could call a regular session at 21 day’s notice. He asked the Gehlot Cabinet to resubmit its proposal.
Slamming the Governor’s decision Congress Leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The Covid-19 fight couldn’t be won in 21 days. But not letting an Assembly Session convene before 21 days notice, that too to discuss the blueprint to tackle a pandemic is immoral and lacks Constitutional sanction. Constitution has to guide Governor and not vice versa!”
The Governor repeated this on Wednesday, saying under those circumstances calling a brief session at short notice was possible while maintaining social distance.“This can be a reasonable ground for calling a session at short notice,” Mishra said in the statement.
Otherwise, he said, it would be better that State Government calls a regular session, like the monsoon session, at a 21-day notice.
In the three-page press note from the Raj Bhawan, the Governor said the Government had not given clear replies to his previous queries.
He had earlier asked the State Government to redraft its proposal, taking into account three points: a 21-day notice, live broadcast of the proceedings if there is a trust vote, and social distancing during the session.