"Speak Up For Democracy": Rahul Gandhi Goes To People On Rajasthan Issue

Congress's Rahul Gandhi tweeted a video today attempting to mobilise the people against the BJP over the events in Rajasthan. Using hashtag #SpeakUpForDemocracy, his Hindia post urged the people to "Unite and raise our voice for democracy". The Congress is planning a countrywide protest on Monday over the situation in Rajasthan, where the Ashok Gehlot government is struggling to survive. While the party said a protest will be held outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of President Ram Nath Kovind.

In the video, the Congress has accused the BJP of "Ripping up the constitution and demolishing democracy" while the whole country is fighting the coronavirus. It has done the same in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress said. "We demand to immediately convene an assembly session which is within our constitutional rights," the party said in the video.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has turned down one proposal to start an assembly session. A second one was submitted today which he said he is examining.

Mr Gehlot's government has been in deep crisis after his deputy Sachin Pilot turned rebel with a chunk of MLAs supporting him. The party has been unable to disqualify the rebels to bring down the majority mark in the assembly.

Mr Pilot -- who was stripped of his posts in the party and the goverment -- has been given temporary relief from disqualification by the Rajasthan High Court, which held that the Speaker cannot take any action until the larger constitutional question about his powers is decided.

That question will be taken up tomorrow by the Supreme Court, which will also decide whether a court can interfere with the Speaker's decisions.

The Congress stands only one past the majority mark in the 200-member assembly. Team Pilot claims the support of 30 MLAs, but so far, the evidence points to only 19. The BJP has 72 and including allies and Independents, it stands at 97.

If the court decides in favour of Mr Pilot, the Congress can lose the second of the three governments it formed in the heartland states following the 2018 assembly elections. In March, it lost the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh after Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP with 22 of his MLAs.