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Raje’s announcements on R-Day anger Congress

JAIPUR: The Congress has questioned the propriety of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje making various announcements at Republic Day ceremony in Ajmer when the Governor had already issued a notification convening the next session of the State Assembly. The Budget session of the Assembly is scheduled to start from February 18 while the notification in this regard was issued on January 21.

Pradesh Congress Committee president C. P. Joshi and party legislator Sanyam Lodha met Assembly Speaker Sumitra Singh on Monday to complain about “the undemocratic and autocratic manner” in which Ms. Raje made the announcements when the norms required her to place them before the Assembly first.

On the occasion of Ajmer’s first-time State-level Republic Day function Ms. Raje made announcements pertaining to the area such as upgrading of the Ajmer Municipal Council into a corporation, establishing a Pushkar Pilgrimage Development Board and setting up a national sanctuary at Raoli-Todgarh.

She also spoke about establishing a special police force to tackle growing cases of molestation of foreign tourists and formation of an all-women police battalion in the State.

“The Chief Minister’s announcements at Ajmer, coming as they were after the notification on the forthcoming Assembly session, are highly condemnable.

Her action not only is a breach of the traditions of the Assembly but also amounts to disrespect to the august House,” the Congress leaders said.

Dr. Joshi and Mr. Lodha also took up the issue of the strength of the Raje Ministry exceeding 15 per cent of the total strength of the 200-member House in violation of Article 164(1A) of the Constitution. Mr. Lodha had earlier written to the Rajasthan Governor S. K. Singh complaining that the Raje Council of Ministers had five members in excess over the permissible 30 after a Minister and four more Parliamentary Secretaries were inducted in December.

According to Mr. Lodha, the Speaker assured them that she would ensure strict adherence to norms on the proceedings of the Assembly as stipulated under Article 208 of the Constitution. Ms. Singh has already asked the State Law Secretary and the Advocate-General to make clear the legal position in this regard by the end of this month.

The Congress leaders also complained to the Speaker about delay on the part of the State Government in making available replies to various questions raised by the MLAs. Ms. Singh told them that she had already written a “strong” letter to the Government in this connection and also directed Parliamentary Affairs Minister personally.

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