LIVE: Sachin Pilot may not attend Legislative Party meeting today

The India Meteorology Department has said that heavy-to-very heavy rainfall is expected in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, on Sunday

6:59 PM

All Rajasthan Congress MLAs in touch with me; govt stable: General Secy

6:39 PM

Congress govt in Rajasthan will complete five years of tenure: Avinash Pande

6:39 PM

A meeting of Congress Legislative Party will be held at CM Ashok Gehlot's residence at 10:30 am tomorrow

6:35 PM

All Rajasthan Congress MLAs in touch with me; Govt is stable: Cong Gen Secy Avinash Pande

As it grapples with factionalism in its Rajasthan unit, the Congress on Sunday said its government in the state is stable and will last its full term.

 

Congress general secretary in-charge for the state Avinash Pande said all party MLAs in the state were in touch with him and wondered who were the ones purported to be siding with Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Pilot, who has been engaged in a power tussle with Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, continues to be incommunicado, leading to anxiety in the state unit.

 

Pande told PTI that he had not spoken to Pilot for the last two days and had left a message with him.

 

"All Congress MLAs are in touch with me and the government in Rajasthan is stable and will last its full term," he said. The Congress general secretary said party chief Sonia Gandhi has been updated on developments in Rajasthan. "I have not talked to Pilot for the last two days and I'm trying to reach out to him. I have left messages for him," he told PTI.

6:04 PM

Sad to see Sachin Pilot too being sidelined and persecuted by Rajasthan CM Gehlot: Scindia

6:02 PM

Rajasthan's Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal received death threat

Rajasthan's Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal has allegedly received a death threat, the video of which has gone viral on social media. A man, who identified himself as Lala Gurjar, threatened the MP for speaking against criminals like Jagan Gurjar and Papla Gurjar, an aide of Beniwal said.

 

No FIR has been registered in this connection so far. Beniwal, the convener of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, had recently tweeted that Papla Gurjar is still absconding and it is a failure of the state government.

 

Papla was detained by a police team in Alwar district's Behror in September last year but a few hours after his detention, his accomplices attacked a police station with AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons to free him from the lockup. He is still at large.

 

On the other hand, Jagan Gurjar is a notorious dacoit of Dholpur district.

5:42 PM

Rajasthan political crisis LIVE: 12 Rajasthan 'rebel' Congress MLAs camping at Maneser hotel

Twelve Congress legislators of Rajasthan, who have put the Ashok Gehlot government in quandary after reportedly deciding to extend support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are camping at ITC Grand Bharat, the five-star hotel in Maneser of the Gurugram district, according to an IANS report.

 

According to a top BJP source in Haryana, they belonged to the Sachin Pilot group. Around 40 BJP legislators have also been lodged in the same hotel as the top leadership feels they are vulnerable and may go with the Congress. They were brought here on Saturday evening by influential BJP leaders of Rajasthan and Delhi. Pilot reportedly met the MLAs here the same evening.

 

The hotel management has set up barricades some 500 meters from the main entrance of the property. Over a dozen bouncers in white clothes have also been deployed to keep the media away from the hotel. The hotel seems to be favourite of dissident legislators and leaders.

5:24 PM

People should take lessons from MLAs who left Congress in Madhya Pradesh: State Sports Minister Ashok Chandna

5:20 PM

Rajasthan political crisis: CM Gehlot summons meeting of Congress MLAs

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has summoned a meeting Sunday night of Congress MLAs and others supporting his government, amid speculation over his rift with deputy Sachin Pilot.

 

Gehlot has alleged that the opposition BJP is trying to topple the Congress government, and cited an FIR registered by the state police.

 

The BJP has dismissed the allegation, saying that the developments are related to infighting within the state unit of the ruling party. Several ministers and Congress MLAs called on the CM during the day, indicating their support. READ MORE...

5:06 PM

Former Himachal Pradesh CM organised lunch party at residence in Shimla; Congress leaders among attendees

4:44 PM

MLAs supporting Pilot find it 'untenable' to work under Gehlot after SOG letter to Dy CM: Sources (PTI)

Amid a power tussle in the Rajasthan government, sources close to Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the letter asking the deputy chief minister to appear for questioning in a probe into alleged attempts to destabilize his own government has "crossed all limits" and made it "untenable" for those MLAs supporting him to work under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

 

The MLAs supporting Pilot cannot stand the repeated undermining of Pilot, also the state PCC chief, by the Gehlot camp and the letter by the police's special operations group (SOG) sent to the deputy chief minister was to "humiliate him", sources told PTI.

 

Pilot is in Delhi, and MLAs supporting him have resolved that they cannot work under Gehlot's chief ministership after the letter was served to "publicly discredit" the PCC chief, sources said, and asserted that there were problems before also but this letter has crossed all limits and such humiliation cannot be tolerated.

 

On the Rajasthan police issuing notice to Gehlot also to record his statement, according to a PTI report.

 

Sources said the notice to the chief minister, also holding the charge of state home affairs, was only an "eyewash" so that the deputy chief minister can be summoned by the SOG and humiliated.

 

"Never before has a sitting state party presidentand deputy chief minister has been served with such a letter", a source said according to PTI.

4:30 PM

Rajasthan govt crisis LIVE: Congress MLAs meet Ashok Gehlot to indicate support

Several ministers and MLAs visited Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's home Sunday, indicating support to him amid speculation over a widening rift with his deputy Sachin Pilot.

 

Some Congress MLAs, considered close to Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who also heads the state Congress unit, have gone to Delhi, sources said. The posturing comes amid allegations by Gehlot that the BJP is trying to lure Congress MLAs to topple the state government.

 

The BJP has dismissed the claim, saying the developments reflect a power struggle between Gehlot and Pilot, simmering since the Congress leadership in Delhi picked the more senior leader for the CM's post.

 

Revenue Minister Harish Choudhary, Labour Minister Tikaram Jully, Health Minister Raghu Sharma were among those who visited the chief minister's residence. We all are meeting the chief minister since yesterday to express faith and confidence in his leadership. The MLAs have confidence in Gehlot's leadership, independent legislator Babulal Nagar said.

 

The crisis surfaced on Friday when the Rajasthan Police issued notices to Gehlot, Pilot and the government chief whip, seeking time from them to record their statements over an alleged bid to topple the state's Congress government.

4:17 PM

Heavy rainfall likely in Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts till July 16: IMD

4:15 PM

SOG sought Sachin Pilot's time to record statement in case related to attempts at toppling Rajasthan govt

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of police had sought Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot's time for recording his statements in connection with the alleged attempts to topple Congress government in the state.

 

A letter to the same effect had been sent to Pilot on July 10 by the SOG. However, a similar letter had also been sent by the SOG on the same day to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot too. Notices sent to both Gehlot and Pilot stated that the SOG, police had urged the leaders to provide a suitable date, time for recording their respective statements.

 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday accused the BJP of attempting to topple the State government" by "buying" MLAs by offering them up to Rs 25 crore, a charge denied by the opposition party and its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), which have claimed that "infighting" inside Congress was at play. They also accused Gehlot of not trusting his own MLAs.

4:03 PM

CM, Deputy CM and other MLAs received notices to record their statements: Rajasthan CM