Stand-off in Rajasthan eases as Governor Kalraj Mishra allows session

Deadlock over convening the Rajasthan Assembly ended late on Wednesday after Governor Kalraj Mishra summoned a session from August 14. 

This followed after days of stand-off between Mishra and Chief Minister (CM) Ashok Gehlot intensified after the governor turned down Gehlot’s request to hold an Assembly session on July 31. The CM then hunkered down for a fight to take the issue to the people. 

He held a Cabinet meeting and met the governor ‘to find out what he wants’ and proposed a new date for the assembly session: beginning 14 August. But from a legal and constitutional tussle, Gehlot is slowly turning the survival of the Congress government into a political issue.

The governor returned a revised proposal containing the response to the three queries posed by him. According to Mishra, the state government insisted he was not only bound to accept its recommendation, but also had no right to know the reasons behind it.

The governor said the Legislative Assembly rules mandated a 21-day notice to all MLAs. Thereafter, he asked the state government to give reasons for demanding the Assembly session at such short notice.