Jaipur/New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The Congress on Tuesday served show-cause notices to Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal, party chief whip Mahesh Joshi and RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore for holding a parallel meeting of party legislators in Jaipur.
The notice issued to Dhariwal said that he, being Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has committed “grave indiscipline” by hosting a parallel MLAs meeting at his residence and thus “pressuring MLAs not to attend the official meeting”.
“As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, hosting the unofficial meeting confused the Congress MLAs as to which one was convened officially,” the notice reads.
The notice that has sought response within 10 days also noted that Dhariwal’s action (parallel meeting) came even when senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken repeatedly clarify that they have come to speak to each MLA “individually and impartially” report to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Similarly, the notice addressed to Joshi stated that he, as Chief Whip, has conducted a “grave indiscipline” by boycotting the official CLP (Congress Legislature Party) meeting and by participating and convening parallel meeting of the MLAs at the time when officially appointed observers were waiting for the official meeting to start.
“As Chief Whip your presence at the unofficial and illegal meeting confused the MLAs as to which one was convened officially,” added the notice.
In show cause notice to Rathore, he was accused of making all logistical arrangements and was held responsible for being behind the entire planning of the unofficial meeting of the MLAs.
Meanwhile, Maken has recommended disciplinary action against Dhariwal, Joshi and Rathore whom he blamed for holding the parallel meet.
Maken, in his report to the party president, has reported “grave indiscipline” on part of them.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, sources said, has been exonerated in the report submitted to party chief Sonia Gandhi.
The official meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was to be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Chief Minister’s residence in Jaipur, but before that Gehlot’s loyalists gathered at Dhariwal’s residence. From where, they went to Speaker C.P. Joshi’s residence and collectively submitted their resignation to him.
