Jaipur: The month-long political slugfest in Rajasthan formally came to an end as the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government on Friday won the confidence motion on the floor of the state assembly.
The Congress, through its chief whip Mahesh Joshi, had submitted a notice to the Speaker C.P. Joshi for a trust vote.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal tabled a proposal for trust vote in the state assembly.
During the debate on the trust vote, Dhariwal accused BJP of luring MLAs from the Congress. He added that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has been destabilising governments.
Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot did not sit next to Chief Minister Gehlot. He was allotted a seat next to Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha, behind health minister Raghu Sharma and transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariwas.
Also read: Ashok Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot: A Timeline of How the Rajasthan Crisis Unfolded
Speaking in the legislative assembly, Gehlot raised questions over the role of agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Income Tax department, stating that they are being misused.
Gehlot also said that he would like to tell the opposition that no matter how much they try, he will not let the government of Rajasthan fall.
Countering Congress’s accusations, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said, “The IPS officers were sabotaging the minds of MLAs. Congress government misused agencies like Special Operations Group and Anti-Corruption Bureau and illegally tapped telephones.”
He added the director general of police also acted inappropriately.
Pilot, who had left Jaipur in protest and led a revolt against Gehlot with the support of 18 MLAs, only to return to the fold a month later, said, “The vote of confidence which was brought by the government has been passed with a very good majority today in the Rajasthan assembly. Despite various attempts by the opposition, the result is in favour of the government.”
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had issued a whip to its MLAs, directing them to vote against the Congress.
The assembly speaker also announced that the house will be adjourned till August 21.