News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan Assembly

  • Rajasthan Assembly’s Budget session begins, BJP demands CBI probe into REET paper leak

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The Budget session of the Rajasthan Assembly began on Wednesday with Governor Kalraj Mishra highlighting the state government’s achievements in his address in the House and the opposition BJP demanding a CBI probe into the REET paper leak scandal.

    Despite the governor asking them to sit down, the BJP members, who wore black bands on their arms, kept standing in their places as a mark of protest. Three Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) MLAs also entered the well of the House over the REET paper leak issue and staged a walkout.

    However, there was no disruption and the governor completed his address in nearly an hour. Mishra lauded the state government for its management of the COVID-19 pandemic and said it had emerged as a “role model”.

    During the pandemic, 33 lakh poor families were given financial assistance of Rs 5,500 each with total spending of Rs 1,815 crore, he said. He added that the state also developed the capacity to conduct 1.45 lakh RT-PCR tests and the health infrastructure was strengthened.

    The governor said the state government waived farmers’ loans worth Rs 8,181 crore from cooperative banks. Apart from this, the government settled an outstanding payment of Rs 6,000 crore of the previous government.

    With this, the government has waived farmers’ loans worth more than Rs 14,000 crore in all. On the state government’s ‘I Am Shakti Yojana’ to distribute free sanitary napkins to girls, Mishra said it is the beginning of a change.

    ALSO READ| REET paper leak: Guilty won’t be spared, says Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    Earlier, there was hesitation in society in talking about menstruation and menstrual hygiene, which resulted in women contracting serious diseases. Now, with this scheme, women will get rid of such problems, he said.

    Due to the compulsory registration of FIRs in the state, Mishra said, women and the weaker sections have been encouraged to come forward to register police complaints.

    In 2017, nearly 33.4 per cent of rape cases were registered through courts. This has now come down to 16 per cent, he said. Similarly, the average time for the investigation of rape cases has come down from 274 in 2017-18 to 79 days now, he added.

    The governor highlighted various other government schemes and programmes like ‘Mukhya Mantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana’ and transgender welfare fund, etc.

    The House reassembled after Mishra left. Newly elected Congress MLAs Preeti Shaktawat (Vallabhnagar) and Nagraj Meena (Dhariawad) took oath. They won bye-elections in November last year.

    Later, Speaker CP Joshi made obituary references and the House paid tributes to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar; country’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat; former Rajya Sabha MP Jamna Devi; former Lok Sabha MPs Gangaram Koli, Shyam Sundar Somani, Brijraj Singh and DN Patodiya; former MLAs Jainarayan Poonia, Mahipal Maderna, Mohan Lal Chauhan, Kamal Ram Koli, Jeetmal Jain, Ramkaran Chaudhary, Heeralal Khant, Goverdhan Singh and Surajmal.

    The House also paid tributes to those killed in a road accident at the Jodhpur-Balotra road on November 11 last year and in the Guwahati-Bikaner train accident on January 13 this year. After the obituary references, the House was adjourned for the day.

  • Rajasthan cabinet to have 12 new faces, five from Sachin Pilot camp: Sources

    The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government will have a total of 30 ministers, including 18 who resigned earlier.

  • Rajasthan cabinet to have 12 new faces, five to six loyalists from Sachin Pilot camp

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: In what could end the tussle between Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his rival Sachin Pilot, at least for now, the much delayed cabinet reshuffle is likely to take place on Sunday evening with at least five to six Pilot loyalists finding a berth in the ministry. There can be a maximum of 30 ministers.

    Gehlot held a cabinet meeting on Saturday evening and took the resignations of all his ministers, paving the way for the CM and the Congress high command to reorganize the ministry in the way they deem fit.

    The meeting was preceded by a resolution moved by state PCC chief and education minister Govind Dotasra, which suggested that all ministers should resign. This was promptly approved by the entire ministry.

    Talking to media after the meeting, transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said: “We have submitted our resignations to Ashok Gehlot and all the MLAs have been asked to be present at the party office at 2 pm on Sunday. Whatever will be decided by the CM and the party high command will be followed.”

    Earlier in the afternoon, Dotasra met Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken following which he said all the new ministers would be welcomed at a special function at the party headquarters before the oath-taking ceremony.

    All through Saturday, the political corridors were abuzz over who would make it to the all-new Gehlot ministry.

    Whether Pilot will figure in the reshuffle is a question on everyone’s lips but hectic lobbying continued through the day. Asked who would be inducted in the new ministry, Gehlot told reporters in the afternoon that “for this Ajay Maken is in contact with Delhi”.

    In a bid to dislodge Gehlot last year, Pilot had revolted against the CM, leading a group of MLAs loyal to him and demanded a change of leadership in the state. Gehlot had managed to stave off the rebellion and remained in the saddle. 

    Besides the two rival camps, the independents and former BSP MLAs who played a crucial role in keeping the Gehlot government safe during Pilot’s revolt is another key aspect that is being closely watched in the state.

  • No kidding: In mock session in Rajasthan Assembly, children hold dharna, stage walkout

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Children took over the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha for an hour on Sunday, holding a mock assembly session that captured the spirit of the real thing — including the odd disruption and an opposition walkout.

    Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, a witness to many such scenes for real in Parliament, was present at the make-believe event organised to mark the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru.

    Instead of the 200 real-life MLAs, that many children aged between six and 16 took part in the “special session.”

    Jahnvi Sharma occupied the Speaker’s chair and took the House through Question Hour, Zero Hour and the other proceedings.

    Other children acted out the roles of the chief minister, ministers, Leader of the Opposition and the members who sat on the Opposition and the Treasury benches.

    During Question Hour, the children sought replies from the pretend ministers mainly on issues related to children and the youth.

    A plan to curb child marriages and action against the availability of drugs near educational institutions were among the issues raised.

    Although tame by real-life standards, there were also disruptions in the proceedings and a few opposition MLAs did hold a dharna over drug trafficking in the well of the House.

    That ended with an assurance that the state government will act against the menace.

    During Zero Hour, a member demanded a debate on the internet shutdowns ordered by authorities during competitive exams, saying they created problems for common people.

    The child-member also accused the state government of shutting down the internet to hide its own administrative failures.

    In a familiar scenario, the mock opposition staged a walkout demanding a minister’s reply.

    They relented when the minister agreed to do so during the current session.

    The adverse impact of mobile phones was discussed.

    So was the need to provide free resources to students and teachers for online education.

    The children sat at places which their real-life role models occupy in the House from the Speaker’s chair, the front rows for the ministers and the senior MLAs to the back benches for the first-timers.

    Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, several ministers and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria watched the children play them.

    Addressing the children before the session began, Gehlot highlighted the importance of democracy and the role the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and others played in strengthening it Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla praised the initiative and said active public participation was needed to strengthen democracy.

    Joshi said it was a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country and the 200 children were selected from among 5,500 from 15 states who had submitted their entries online.

  • Rajasthan assembly passes state budget; implementation of insurance scheme for families announced

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan legislative assembly passed the state budget by a voice vote on Thursday with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announcing to implement ‘CM Chiranjeevi Yojna’ from May 1 in the state under which every family in the state will get medical insurance benefit of up to Rs 5 lakh.

    Gehlot announced renaming of Universal Health Coverage Scheme worth Rs 3,500 crore as CM Chiranjeevi Yojna and said registrations will start from April 1.

    The chief minister said the MLA development fund has been increased from Rs 2. 25 crore to Rs 5 crore annually while announcing a slew of new development projects in almost all sectors.

    Gehlot also criticised the previous BJP government in the state for its policies and “financial indiscipline” due to which revenue and fiscal parameters were “stretched beyond the permissible limits”.

    Replying on the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill-2021, Gehlot expressed concern over the centre reducing the funds given to the state.

      “The situation that has risen, I am worried. We talk about cooperative federalism but it has not seen in the prime minister’s behaviour. He only talks about it,” Gehlot said.

    The Congress leader urged the opposition to support the state government in taking up the project of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and stalled railway route projects with the centre.

    “I am ready to fight for ERCP just like the refinery project in Barmer. We have given 25 MPs in parliament. We all should work together,” Gehlot said.

    Referring to the speech of Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria regarding the implementation of the budget announcements, Gehlot said he does not have to worry about it, government will fulfill the budget promises.

    Gehlot rubbished claims of the opposition that his government failed to provide employment, saying more than 1.70 lakh new jobs were generated in the last two-and-a-half years.

    He said, ”We have given 97,000 jobs till now. Examination results have been released for 17,000 jobs. Advertisements have been issued for 37,000 recruits while the process of issuing advertisements for 23,000 recruits is underway. Our government has created more than 1.70 lakh jobs in the last two and a half years.”

    For the appointment of subject matter experts, a provision of lateral entry for the identified posts of mines, medicine, university etc. is proposed so that the state can get the benefit of experienced candidates, he said.

    The chief minister reiterated that there is no difference between the Minas and the Meenas in Rajasthan and claimed that the issue is “raised again and again” to create confusion.

    I would like to clarify in the house that Mina and Meena are same and the only difference is of spelling.

    Gehlot said, “By simplifying the eligibility for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservation in the state, the income limit was raised to Rs 8 lakh per annum and the property-based conditions were removed.

    Now, I also announce the relaxation in the age limit and fees in the EWS reservation similar to other classes.”

    Following the chief minister’s reply, the house passed the Appropriation Bill, 2021 and the Finance Bill, 2021 by a voice vote.

  • Phone tapping row: Rajasthan House deadlocked as BJP MLAs create ruckus

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR:  The phone tapping row led to a huge storm in the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday.

    The opposition BJP disrupted the proceedings, causing repeated adjournments and a deadlock in the session.

    The party has demanded a special discussion in the Assembly and wants a list of those whose phones were tapped last year. The Congress is in no mood to oblige.

    The row erupted after the Ashok Gehlot government a few days ago accepted that phone tapping “happens in normal procedure in the interest of public safety and security”.

    But the government had not given any details about it, though it clarified that phones of ministers and MLAs were not tapped last year.

    The government’s reaction came on a query by BJP MLA Kalicharan Saraf who asked if it was true that phone tapping cases came up in the last few days.

    He wanted to know under which law and on whose orders such tapping took place.

    In its response, the government admitted to phone-tapping and stated, “In the interest of public safety or public order, and to prevent occurrence of a crime which might risk public safety or public order, telephones are intercepted after approval by a competent officer under various sections of law.”

    This confirmation on Saraf’s question asked during the House session of August 2020 was posted on the Assembly website.

    During the question hour, leader of the Opposition Gulabchand Kataria accused the Congress of misusing government machinery to contain a rebellion inside the party by tapping phones of some leaders.

    When the BJP’s adjournment motion was turned down by Speaker CP Joshi, BJP MLAs gathered near the Speakers’ podium and shouted slogans. In the commotion that followed, BJP MLA Madan Dilawar was singled out for his poor behaviour and was suspended for seven days from the Assembly.

    The BJP MLAs held a dharna in the well of the House after Speaker C P Joshi rejected the adjournment motions.

    Dilawar was suspended from the House for seven days for unruly behaviour after he interrupted an Independent legislator and had an argument with him.

    In New Delhi, the BJP demanded a high level probe into the incidents.

    “The Congress government is resorting to all means to stay in power. To save government, CM Gehlot is taking recourse to even tapping phones,” BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Rathore said while addressing the media. 

    Reacting to the ruckus, Gehlot in the evening accused the Opposition party of creating “unnecessary disturbance” and said he had already made a statement over the issue in the Assembly last year.

    The BJP had on Monday demanded the resignation of Gehlot on moral grounds after his government said in a reply to a question in the state Assembly that it taps phones in the interest of public safety and order.

    Though the reply of the government did not specify whose phones were tapped, the BJP linked it to the phone tapping controversy that erupted during the political crisis created by the rebellion of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs against the leadership of Gehlot last year.

    The Speaker rejected the motions on the ground that there was no mention whose privacy was breached.

    Joshi said in the adjournment motions, there was no name and specific details.

    “There is no clarity about whose privacy has been breached. I have rejected the motions and there cannot be a debate on the ruling of the speaker,” he said.

    The Speaker asked the BJP MLAs to give facts in support of their claim and said he will forward the facts to the government, who will give a reply today itself.

    When the Speaker did not allow the BJP MLAs to speak, they created an uproar and stormed to the well of the House.

    The House was adjourned four times today due to the uproar.

    Meanwhile, BJP MLA Madan Dilawar was suspended from the Assembly after he approached and interrupted Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha, who was speaking on demands for grants for education, art and culture.

    Lodha objected to Dilawar’s behaviour, following which Speaker C P Joshi warned the BJP MLA.

    As Dilawar did not pay any heed to him, Joshi asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal to bring a proposal to suspend the legislator.

    Dhariwal moved a proposal to suspend Dilawar from the proceedings of the House for seven days which was passed by voice vote.

    BJP MLAs protesting in the Well of the House formed a human chain around Dilawar to stop him from being escorted out by marshals.

    The Speaker then adjourned the House for 30 minutes.

    It was the fourth adjournment of the day.

    Reacting to the ruckus in the House, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in a Facebook post said he had already made a statement over the issue in the Assembly on August 14 last year.

    He posted the transcript of his statement and his talks with the media on July 17 and 20.

    He accused the BJP of creating “unnecessary” issues due to an “internal fighting” in the party.

    It is an attempt to disturb the House unnecessarily, he commented.

    In his address to the Assembly on August 14, Gehlot had denied the charge and had said there has never been a tradition of illegal phone tapping of MLAs or MPs in Rajasthan.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Rajasthan Congress MLA reaches Assembly on tractor to show support for farmers

    By Express News Service
    JAIPUR: Congress MLA from Bamawas Indira Meena on Wednesday reached the Rajasthan Assembly here on a tractor on the first day of the budget session to extend her support to the farmers protesting against the new farm laws.

    “I am in support of the farmers agitating against the farm law. I am there for them whenever they will need me,” Meena told reporters outside the state Assembly.

    Later, the session began with uproars as echoes of the peasant movement were dominant even inside the House. During the Governor’s address, CPI MLA Balwan Poonia shouted slogans in support of the farmers’ movement in the house. He threw the papers before the governor and termed the central farm Acts ‘black law’ which would ruin farmers. He demanded the central government repeal them.

    Poonia, who represents the Bhadra constituency, even interrupted the governor while the latter was addressing the Assembly and asked him to “say something”. “I am speaking, brother”, Governor Kalraj Mishra responded to Poonia. Poonia and a few other MLAs then sat on a dharna in the House. 

    Later, state Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi, and Deputy Whip Mahendra Chaudhary tried to convince Poonia who eventually was taken out of the House after a prolonged altercation. The Governor’s address, however, continued amidst the din and dharna in the Well.

    The Governor’s address remained focused on Coronavirus and farmers. The Governor referred to the works done by the Gehlot government for the people during the Covid pandemic period and its pro-farmer initiatives. The Governor even referred to the special session called by the state government and mentioned the three agricultural ordinances passed for the benefit of the farmers.

    After the completion of the Governor’s address, some other MLAs supported Poonia and raised slogans of ‘Jai Kisan’ in support of the agitating farmers in the presence of the Governor. Among those who raised slogans were Independent and Congress MLAs. 

    In sharp contrast, slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were raised by a group of BJP MLAs inside the House. Overall, the first day of the Rajasthan Assembly indicated that heated debates over the contentious farm bills are bound to dominate the Budget Session.

    In addition, it was announced that CM Ashok Gehlot will present the state budget on 24 February.

  • Key BJP meeting amid SC glare on BSP-Congress merger

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: Within hours of the Supreme Court notice to Rajasthan Assembly Speaker on the merger of six BSP MLAs into the ruling Congress legislature party on Thursday, the BJP High Command summoned three of its top leaders from the state for an emergency meeting in Delhi. BJP chief of the state unit Satish Poonia, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria, and his deputy leader Rajendra Rathore were asked to rush to Delhi for a meeting with national BJP President J P Nadda.

    The emergency meeting between the BJP’s ‘top trio’ and the party high command is being linked to the top court issuing notices to Speaker CP Joshi and six former BSP MLAs on a plea seeking stay on his decision allowing the BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress. Besides, the BSP-Congress merger controversy, some say the discussions in the BJP high command may also revolve around the recent break up with the Hanuman Beniwal-led RLP over the farmers’ agitation. In addition, the state is getting ready for by-elections to three seats of the Rajasthan Assembly.

    The controversial merger in 2019 was a big boost to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, as the tally of the Congress crossed 100 in the House of 200 MLAs. The merger had come into sharp focus during the Sachin Pilot-led revolt last July-August as it played a vital role in enabling the Ashok Gehlot-led state government to retain its majority.

    Since then, the Poonia-Kataria-Rathore trio has been repeatedly asserting that the Gehlot government would fall within six months. Recently, Gehlot had claimed that the BJP was making efforts to topple his government.The high command has reportedly kept former chief minister Vasundhara Raje away from the Delhi meeting. At the height of the political crisis after Pilot’s revolt, there were rumours that Raje had helped save the Gehlot government from being toppled.

    The apex court on Thursday heard separate petitions filed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar against the August 24 last year order passed by the Rajasthan High Court. The High Court had dismissed the BSP’s petition against the September 18, 2019 order passed by the Assembly Speaker approving the merger. It had, however, allowed the BSP to file a disqualification petition with the Speaker raising plea of defection of the six legislators. The Rajasthan High Court had asked the Speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petition filed by the BJP MLA against the merger.

    Raje kept away The BJP has kept Vasundhara Raje away from the meeting. At the height of the crisis, there were rumours that Raje had helped save the Gehlot government

  • SC issues notice to Rajasthan Speaker on pleas against merger of BSP MLAs with Congress

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday sought responses from Rajasthan Assembly Speaker and others on two separate pleas against the merger of all six BSP MLAs into the ruling Congress legislature party in the state.

    Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar have filed separate appeals against an order of the Rajasthan High Court which asked the Speaker to decide within three months a disqualification petition against all the six BSP MLAs ‘merging’ with the ruling Congress party.

    A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and K M Joseph, in the proceedings conducted through video conferencing,  also issued notices to the Assembly secretary and all the six MLAs who defected and merged with the Congress.

    The merger was a boost to Ashok Gehlot-led state government as the tally of the Congress increased to over 100 in the house of 200 MLAs.

  • Rajasthan assembly elections: ‘Raag darbari’ of ‘naamdar’ call Naxals, Maoists revolutionaries, says PM Modi

    Courtiers around the “naamdar” believe Naxals and Maoists are revolutionaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday in a sharp attack against Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Modi, who often refers to Gandhi as “naamdar” (dynast), was addressing a rally ahead of the December 7 elections in this Rajasthan town.

    “Raag darbari of the naamdar say Naxals and Maoists are revolutionaries,” he told the gathering.

    Close aides of the “naamdar” refer to the Army chief as street thugs, Modi said, asking whether they could protect the nation. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit last year triggered a row after he likened Army Chief General Bipin Rawat to a “goon on the street”, prompting the BJP to demand his expulsion. The Congress distanced itself from the remarks. Dikshit withdrew his remarks and apologised