CM Gehlot Says 'Pressure from Top' Stopped Rajasthan Governor from Convening Assembly Session

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday evening said the Governor is the constitutional head and could not have stopped the Assembly session from taking place "without some pressure from the top".

"Why did he not decide yesterday? We've requested him again to make a decision soon. People are waiting," said Gehlot at a press conference in Jaipur. "I am sure that the Governor will not come under any pressure, he will make a decision. We hope the Assembly session begins soon. So we are sitting here in protest. After he gives us a letter we will decide the further course of action."

Gehlot also urged the Congress MLAs sitting on a 'dharna' at the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur to behave in the Gandhian way as no confrontation is desirable, sources said. State Congress MLAs in the Gehlot camp are sitting on a 'dharna' on the Raj Bhawan lawns here, demanding a session of the state assembly be called.

"The chief minister has requested all MLAs to behave in the Gandhian way and we do not want any confrontation," a source said.

It has never happened in the history of the country that the Governor has not given approval to call an assembly session, the source added.

"The Governor is bound by the decisions of the Cabinet. It seems that Cabinet's proposal to call an assembly session has not been approved (by the Governor) under pressure from higher-ups," the source said.

The MLAs have said they will stay put till the Governor summons a session of the state assembly. Led by Gehlot, they arrived at the Raj Bhavan in four buses from a hotel on the city outskirts where they have been camping for the past few days.

Before heading for the Raj Bhavan, Gehlot said he had requested Mishra on Thursday to call a session of the assembly on Monday. But there had been no word from him so far, he said.

Gehlot threatened that if the demand for convening a session is not met, the MLAs will "not be responsible" if people gherao the Raj Bhavan. Gehlot claimed the governor was under pressure from "above" not to call an assembly session.