Rajasthan political crisis | Congress MLAs attend session on BJP policies

Party moves its flock to Jaipur hotel ahead of Rajya Sabha elections.

Pep talk: Congress legislators at a training programme in a hotel in Jaipur on Saturday. Photo: Special Arrangement

Amid the political slugfest over the alleged attempts to poach legislators ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections , the ruling Congress MLAs, holed up in a luxury hotel here, attended a workshop on the BJP’s policies on Saturday.

Senior Congress leaders accused the BJP of damaging the country’s social fabric by its “criminal mismanagement” during the last six years in power.

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The MLAs, who were earlier staying at a private resort on the outskirts of Jaipur, were shifted to JW Marriott Hotel. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, camping in the hotel since Friday, devised a training programme for legislators and finalised a mock drill for polling for the three Rajya Sabha seats from the State.

The arrival of leaders such a Deepender Hooda, Rajeev Satav, Qazi Nizamuddin and Devendra Yadav at the hotel and their participation in the workshop indicated the significance being attached by the party’s central leadership to the Sachin Pilot camp. Mr. Nizamuddin and Mr. Yadav had played an important role in the distribution of tickets during the 2018 Assembly elections.

‘Zero governance’

The half-day workshop covered the subjects of coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) lockdown , crisis faced by migrant workers, present state of economy, weakening of democratic institutions, promises made to farmers for doubling their income, price rise and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Congress national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP had adopted the policy of “maximum government, zero governance” at the Centre and had nothing to show as an achievement after completing six years in power. “All major decisions, such as demonetisation, GST implementation and lockdown, were taken by an individual, bringing misery to the people,” he said.

“The Narendra Modi government seems to be fighting a war against its own citizens. Instead of protecting and serving the people, the government is misleading and dividing them,” Mr. Surjewala said. He said cooperative federalism had been replaced by dictatorship, and a “policy paralysis” was pervading all spheres of public life.

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Independent MLAs supporting the State government were also staying at the hotel. Mr. Gehlot has claimed that the two Bharatiya Tribal Party MLAs had promised to support Congress during the June 19 Rajya Sabha polls. The two CPI(M) legislators were also likely to extend their support.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Rajendra Rathore, has alleged that the State government was tapping the phones of Opposition members on the pretext of a probe into the alleged cash transfer for poaching the MLAs. The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan police is investigating the matter after a complaint was lodged with it.