Rajasthan legislator Rajendra Singh Gudha is likely one of the six MLAs that left the Bahujan Samaj Occasion (BSP) to affix the Congress in September 2019. And after the BSP’s whip asking these leaders to vote towards the Ashok Gehlot authorities in case of a ground take a look at, he appears unperturbed.
“This whip isn’t definitely worth the paper it’s issued on,” he instructed HT over telephone from Fairmont Lodge on the outskirts of Jaipur the place MLAs backing Gehlot are tenting.
Gudha is not any stranger to a scenario like this. Within the 2008 meeting polls, he first fought on a BSP ticket from Udaipurwati. Identical to in 2018, the BSP gained six seats again then, its finest efficiency within the state. And identical to what occurred after the 2018 election outcomes, all six BSP MLAs, together with Gudha, joined the Congress in 2008. He was a Congress minister until 2013, when the get together misplaced energy to the BJP. Earlier than the elections in 2018, he went again to the BSP after the Congress denied him ticket.
“It’s best to ask the BSP why they gave me a ticket once more,” he mentioned. “So far as the anti-defection legal guidelines go, you must have 2/third of the get together, however on this case we had all the get together leaving for the Congress. So what’s the issue?’’ he requested.
His former BSP colleague, Murari Meena, who too stop the get together to affix the Congress in 2008, has a distinct viewpoint. That will even be as a result of he’s within the camp of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his supporters, who’ve rebelled towards Gehlot. Not like Gudha, Meena didn’t return to the BSP.
“The BSP problem is on a legally sound floor,” mentioned Meena. “In 2008, the BSP merger problem didn’t stand the scrutiny of the court docket as a result of it was filed by an outsider. This time it has been challenged by an MLA.”
Hours later, nonetheless, the Rajasthan excessive court docket dismissed the petition by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, who questioned speaker CP Joshi’s alleged inaction over the merger of the BSP MLAs with the Congress final 12 months. The BSP, too, moved the HC searching for to grow to be a celebration within the petition.
“The merger came about months in the past. It’s shocking why the BSP central management has woken up and realised the merger was unlawful…The BSP and Mr Dilawar are each fallacious,” mentioned Sunil Fernandes, a lawyer who was a part of the workforce representing the Congress get together within the Supreme Court docket in a plea filed by the Rajasthan speaker.
“The 10th Schedule permits the merger of the legislative get together too. The rivalry that the BSP as a nationwide get together should merge with the INC [Indian National Congress] for BSP MLAs to merge with the INC is misconceived. The guardian get together could not merge however members of a legislative get together have the precise to merge with another get together beneath the 10th schedule [anti-defection laws] of the Structure,” Fernandes mentioned.
He was countering the rivalry of senior BSP chief Satish Mishra, who, in an announcement on Sunday evening, mentioned particular person MLAs can’t merge except there was a nationwide degree merger between the 2 events.
The BJP mentioned the governor or the court docket ought to intervene within the matter. “A constitutional and authorized scenario has risen. Both the excessive court docket ought to determine or the governor ought to intervene…,” mentioned Satish Poonia, the BJP incharge of Rajasthan.