Rajasthan MLAs' demands have 'strings attached', not acceptable: Congress

Cong voiced strong displeasure over Gehlot supporters' conduct, calls it 'indiscpline'

The rebellion of Ashok Gehlot supporters has queered the pitch for Congress presidential election with the Rajasthan Chief Minister appeared to have earned the displeasure of the High Command, as the party on Monday dangled the disciplinary sword after MLAs refused to attend Legislature Party meeting by holding a “parallel” deliberations and insisting on three “demands with strings” to be put on a resolution.

Sources said Congress president Sonia Gandhi was “very unhappy” with the developments and asked senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary in-charge Ajay Maken to submit a “written report” on the developments by Monday night or early Tuesday, with the party making the High Command’s displeasure loud and clear over the “unfortunate” developments in Jaipur by indicating that around 90 MLAs’ conduct “prima facie” was indiscipline.

Read | Crisis brews in Rajasthan; senior Congress leaders try to persuade rebels

While party insiders were talking about Gehlot losing the edge he had with the Gandhi family on the Congress presidential election, sources said a top Congress functionary close to the Gandhi family has taken two sets of nomination papers. It was not immediately known for whom the papers were taken. So far, Gehlot has not indicated whether he will bow out of the race and is waiting for a word from the High Command.

The party leadership has not taken Gehlot's assertion on face value that he had no role in what happened in Jaipur on Sunday, sources said.

Sonia held a meeting with Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, who flew in from Kerala, Kharge and Maken during which they took stock of the situation while senior leader Kamal Nath held separate deliberations with the Congress president, amid indications that he has been asked to mediate between the Rajasthan leaders. Kharge and Maken briefed Sonia about the developments in Jaipur on Sunday evening.

The meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jaipur could not take place on Sunday evening to authorise party chief Sonia Gandhi to choose a successor of Gehlot, as he is all set to fight for the president’s post. While the leadership is favouring Gehlot’s bete noir Sachin Pilot, at least 92 of the 108 Congress MLAs on Sunday rebelled against the leadership’s plan by threatening to resign from the Assembly.

Also Read | A battle of opposites for Congress president's post

Sources said the report by Kharge and Maken to be submitted to Sonia on Tuesday will reflect the “political manoeuvring and stubbornness” displayed by Gehlot supporters and the “unreasonable” demands made by them despite the two central observers reasoning with them.

Maken told reporters in Jaipur and Delhi that representatives of the MLAs supporting Gehlot – Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, Pratap Singh Kachariyawas and Mahesh Joshi – met him and Kharge to raise three demands, which they found not acceptable as there were “strings” attached.

While assuring that “no decision is being taken” and all views will be heard before taking a final call, Maken said Dhariwal and others raised “three demands”, which included authorising Sonia to take a decision but only after October 19, when the counting of votes for the president’s election is over.

Insisting that such strings cannot be attached to a resolution for the party chief, Maken said there was also “conflict of interest” as Gehlot will be moving the resolution which will empower him, if elected, to take a decision on who should replace him.

The second demand by Gehlot supporters was that they would not meet the observers individually but in groups, which was rejected by the senior leaders. Maken said the practice of having one-to-one meetings is to ensure “free and frank discussion” but the MLAs insisted they would not meet individually.

Sources said the Gehlot supporters were apprehensive of individual meetings as they felt the central leaders may try to influence the outcome of the meetings.

The third demand was that the next Chief Minister should be from among 102 MLAs who stood solid behind Gehlot when Pilot revolted in 2020. “We told them we understand their viewpoint and any decision will be taken after consultations with all MLAs. Sonia Gandhi will speak to Gehlot before a decision,” he said.

Maken said the MLAs wanted these points to be part of the resolution. “We cannot clear a resolution with strings. That is not the practice in Congress,” he said.

Asked whether the conduct of MLAs were seen as indiscipline, Maken answered in the affirmative and said, “prima facie, it is indiscipline as they called a meeting parallel to the official meeting. What action can be taken will be decided later.”