The Congress on Friday demanded the arrest of union minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and rebel Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma after two audio clips surfaced pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government.
Shekhawat rejected the Congress' allegation, saying his voice is not in those recordings and that he was ready to face any probe.
Meanwhile, a division bench of Rajasthan High Court has begun hearing Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs' petition against Speaker’s disqualification notice against them.
Catch all the Rajasthan live updates here:
4:50 PM: Rajasthan HC adjourns the hearing on the dissident Congress MLAs' petition till Monday.
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The Assembly Speaker has been directed not to take any decision on the disqualification notices of the MLAs till 5 PM, July 21.
4:44 PM: Rajasthan’s lone CPI(M) MLA Balwan Poonia has pledged his support to the Ashok Gehlot government in the state, saying any attempt to topple it will not succeed.
He said he will vote in favour of the Congress government if there is a floor test in the assembly.
4:15 PM: A Special Operations Group team is leaving for Manesar in Haryana to take statements of Congress MLAs purportedly heard talking in a viral audio clip about horse-trading of legislators to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, an official said.
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2:46PM: "Raising disagreements regarding 'dictatorial functioning' of CM is an internal matter and doesn't amount to defection," says advocate Harish Salve. He also raises the issue of freedom of speech of legislators.
2:33PM: A party whip applies only when the assembly is in session. You cannot disqualify MLAs for not attending a meeting, says Advocate Harish Salve for Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs.
2:24PM: Why Is BJP Unusually Silent Over Rajasthan Political Crisis? BJP's wait and watch approach in Rajasthan, despite an open rebellion by former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 of his loyalist MLAs, stems from two factors: lack of numbers to topple the government; and conspicuous silence of former chief minister and BJP's most prominent leader in Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, over the entire political crisis. Read full story here.
2:11PM: Rajasthan HC has allowed Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi's plea to be added as a respondent in the case.
2:06PM: Rajasthan Assembly Speaker is expected to take up at 5 pm Congress complaint seeking disqualification of Sachin Pilot, 18 other MLAs from the house, reports PTI.
1:56PM: "Acts outside the House are not violation of anti-defection law," Congress dissident MLAs' advocate Harish Salve says in Rajasthan HC.
1:42PM: The Rajasthan Police has registered two FIRs on a complaint lodged by the Congress over the alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government through horse trading of MLAs.
