All the ruling Congress MLAs in Rajasthan who had submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi will withdraw the papers following a directive from the party high command.
The 90 MLAs, considered loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, had made the decision after boycotting a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on September 25. Their resignation letters have been lying with the Speaker for over three months.
Some of the MLAs went to Mr. Joshi’s residence on Saturday and submitted formal letters informing him that they were taking back their resignation. The legislators, who had resented a proposed move at the CLP meeting to authorise the high command to select a new Chief Minister, were assured that there would be no change of guard in the State before the 2023 Assembly election.
The new Congress in-charge for Rajasthan, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was on a three-day visit to the State, had reportedly conveyed the high command’s desire to bring reconciliation between the two factions at a meeting with Mr. Joshi on Friday.
Mr. Randhawa also attended a convention of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) in Jaipur and interacted with the party leaders.
Since the Assembly’s Budget Session is scheduled to start on January 23, the withdrawal of MLAs’ resignation was essential for the ruling party.
It was also crucial in view of the matter having been taken up by Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore to the Rajasthan High Court through a public interest litigation (PIL). Following a notice issued to the Speaker, the case pertaining to the en masse resignation will come up for hearing in the High Court on January 2.
The Opposition BJP on Saturday described the Congress MLAs’ resignations as “tendered without any reason” and their subsequent withdrawal as “an act challenging the Indian democratic system”.
BJP State president Satish Poonia said the process of resignation by an elected representative and its withdrawal was governed by the Constitution. “The conduct of all the institutions in this process must be within the purview of the Constitution,” he said.
The BJP is also expected to raise the issue in the Assembly and seek a statement from the Speaker with the demand that the legislators who had put in their papers should not be allowed to continue as the members of the House. Mr. Rathore, who moved the writ petition in the High Court, said there was no provision in law for the MLAs to withdraw their resignations.
Mr. Randhawa also indicated that the appointments to various positions in the PCC, including at the district and block levels, would be made shortly. The former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister added that he had discussed the matters related to the party organisation with the local leaders.
The district and block units of the party were dissolved in July 2020 after the rebellion staged by the then Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.
