Why do you need trust vote? Rajasthan Guv asks Gehlot

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Friday asked the Ashok Gehlot government why it wanted to call an assembly session to secure a vote of confidence if it already has the majority.

The Governor posed the query in a six-point questionnaire entailing a note sent by the Raj Bhawan on Friday evening to the state government's Parliament Affairs Department, the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

In his note to the state government, Governor Mishra emphasized that 'no one is above the Constitutional dignity and no pressure politics should be resorted to'.

As per the statement, Mishra, detailing the circumstances in which the Raj Bhawan sent the missive to the state government, said, 'The state government had submitted a letter to the Raj Bhawan on July 23 night for convening an assembly session at extremely short notice.'

'The letter was examined on its merits and even legal and constitutional experts were consulted over it,' he said.

The Raj Bhawan subsequently has sent a note to the state's Parliament Affairs Department seeking the status on the following six issues, the statement said.

In his note, Governor Mishra pointed out that neither any date for convening the session had been mentioned in the Cabinet note, annexed with the government's request for the purpose, nor the Cabinet had given any approval for it.

The government's request has not given any rational either to call the session on such a short notice nor any agenda for it has been proposed, said the governor, pointing out that a 21-day notice is mandatory for calling an assembly session in the normal course.

The Raj Bhawan statement added that Governor Mishra has also asked the government 'to ensure the independence and freedom of movement of all members of the legislative assembly'.

The governor also asked the government to 'explain the manner in which the assembly session would be convened amid the ongoing spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state'.

The Raj Bhawan has specifically directed that 'the constitutional dignity and the relevant procedure must be adhered to in any action by the government', the statement said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had earlier told reporters that the governor has said he would abide by the Constitution and will take the decision without any duress.

"The Governor has given a note to the chief minister, which will be taken up in the state Cabinet to submit the clarification on the points raised by the governor," Surjewala told reporters after coming out of the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur.