Shortly after the Rajasthan High Court ordered the Speaker to maintain status quo in the disqualification case against Sachin Pilot and 18 rebel MLAs, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that the Governor was not giving directions to call the Assembly session because he was “under pressure from the top” to stall any test of strength.

Speaking to reporters, Gehlot said that he had a telephonic conversation with Governor Kalraj Mishra last evening wherein, he requested him to take a decision on convening an Assembly session.

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“We requested him to call a session last evening and we waited all night, but there was no response. It is beyond comprehension what kind of forces would compel him to delay such a simple process,” the chief minister said.

“We want to start the State Assembly session from Monday in order to discuss issues including coronavirus and the political situation. Doodh ka doodh aur pani ka pani ho jayega (everything will be clear then),” Gehlot added.

Since the Governor has not responded to the plea, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he and the Congress MLAs supporting him will directly make a collective request.

“We are going to the Governor to request him to not come under pressure. The people of Rajasthan are with us. If the masses surround the Raj Bhawan, we will not be responsible,” he further said.

Gehlot once again reiterated his claim the the BJP is trying to topple his government.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has told NDTV that he has not yet decided on the Assembly session and will only act according to the rules.

In yet another setback for the Gehlot camp, the Rajasthan High Court earlier today accepted team Pilot’s eleventh-hour request to add Centre as a party in the disqualification case.

The application was moved by Pilot on the ground that Tenth Schedule’s constitutional validity was under challenge and therefore, the Union of India was a necessary party.

The Rajasthan High Court also ordered status quo to be maintained in the disqualification case against Sachin Pilot and 18 rebel MLAs.

In a petition filed on Wednesday, Congress MLA Prithviraj Meena sought the Centre to be impleaded in the ongoing case filed by the Pilot camp challenging Para 2 (1) (a) of the Schedule X of the Constitution.

Today’s order comes as the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the Rajasthan Speaker’s petition to interfere in the High Court’s order to defer anti-defection proceedings against former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 rebel Congress MLAs, saying that “the voice of dissent in a democracy cannot be suppressed”.

The top court concluded its hearing saying that the Rajasthan High Court can pass orders on rebel MLAs plea against disqualification notice from the Speaker.

Following the SC verdict, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters that an assembly session would be called “very soon” and indicated that the Congress is contemplating to go in for a floor test to establish its majority.

After Sachin Pilot and the rebel MLAs gave the second CLP meeting a miss on July 14, the Congress announced the removal of Pilot as the Deputy Chief Minister as well as the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief.

On the same day, the Speaker served them disqualification notices.