BJP MLA takes aim at Rajasthan Speaker over his petition seeking disqualification of BSP legislators

Amidst a political crisis in Rajasthan, BJP MLA Madan Dilawar on Sunday took aim at Assembly Speaker C P Joshi, saying he did not take any action on a petition seeking disqualification of six BSP legislators for their merger with the Congress.

"As per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, I had filed a petition before the Assembly Speaker on March 16 (for disqualification of the BSP MLAs) and gave a reminder on July 17 for quick decision (on it), but no action was taken," Dilawar said in a statement.

Dilawar said he was surprised that his petition was cancelled without a hearing and without even giving any notice to the BSP legislators, but the Speaker issued notices to 19 rebel Congress MLAs on July 14 and demanded reply by July 17.

Lat week, Dilawar filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court for quashing the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress and challenging the “inaction” of the Speaker in not deciding on his plea. The petition will be heard by a single-judge bench of the high court on Monday.

Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets.

They applied for merger as a group with the Congress on September 16 last year. The Speaker passed an order two days later declaring that the six MLAs will be treated as an integral part of the Congress.

The merger was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led government as the Congress tally increased to 107 in a House of 200.

The Congress government is facing a political crisis after a rebellion by the now sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.