Ashok Gehlot led Congress govt wins trust vote in Rajasthan

Jaipur:Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan  on Friday won the motion of confidence through voice vote.

Nineteen rebels, including former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, supported the government making it a "cake walk" for Mr Gehlot to continue the rule of the Congress party.As per the House rules, no confidence motion can be taken up for at least six months.

Just before the vote, Mr Gehlot in his address, urged the Congress MLAs to stay united and help retain power.

The Chief Minister said he was perturbed over what the people  of the state had to go through during the past over a month of political turmoil.

Mr Pilot, in a loud and clear message to Opposition BJP, asserted that whatever the issue be, no outsider has the right to interfere in the internal matters of his party.

When the Assembly convened in the morning, Mr Pilot seemed amused to see his changed seating position since he lost the post of deputy chief minister.

"Who is at the border? The strongest warrior," he said sarcastically.Earlier, in the day, Parliamentary Affair Minister Shanti Dhariwal gave the call for the motion.

Initiating the debate, Mr Dhariwal alleged that opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had made a failed attempt to topple the Gehlot-led Congress government through horse-trading.

The BJP wanted to repeat what it did in Manipur, Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, he alleged.

"Rajasthan mein na kisse Shah ke chali hai na kisse tannashah ki (Neither Shah nor any dictator could rule over Rajasthan), the Minister jibed against the BJP.

Mr Dhariwal's reference was towards Union Home Amit Shah and Mughal Emperor Akhbar who tasted a defeat in battle of Mewar.

Replying to Mr Dhariwal allegations, deputy Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore asked how a party, who is engaged in "elephant-trading", can blame others over "horse-trading"?

Mr Dhariwal's "elephant-trading" remark was apparently towards the merger of Bahujan Samaj Party six MLAs after Assembly polls in 2018, which according to BSP chief Mayawati as well as the BJP, was illegal.

Meanwhile,Speaker C P Joshi adjourned the House till August 21.In the present Assembly, Congress has 107 MLAs, while BJP 72.(UNI)