Confidence motion moved in Rajasthan Assembly session

Jaipur, Aug 14: Putting an end to the month-long political impasse, Sachin Pilot, the expelled deputy CM reunited with the party on Monday, and the Ashok Gehlot government, which was confident of a majority throughout the crisis, is no longer counting numbers in the House.

Rajasthan Parliamentary Affair Minister Shanti Dhariwal on Friday moved a motion of confidence in Rajasthan Assembly.

Replying to the debate on the motion, Dhariwal blamed the Centre for trying to "topple" the governments in Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Goa, using money and power, but said a similar attempt in Rajasthan would not succeed.

Referring to Akbar, he said the Mughal emperor had to taste defeat in Mewar of Rajasthan during his quest to expand his empire. Similarly, BJP''s attempts to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government were defeated, he added.

In a House of 200, the Congress party has 107 MLAs and the support of Independents and allies. The BJP has 72 members.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said it would be "a victory of truth" during the assembly session that began on Friday.

The Congress government has said Gehlot will seek a vote of confidence after the opposition BJP said it will move a motion of no confidence against it.

The session comes after a month-long political crisis in the state which started with the rebellion by Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs. With the disgruntled MLAs back in the party-fold, following the intervention of the top leadership, the Congress is likely to pass the floor test.

Pilot was sacked as the state's deputy chief minister and Gehlot referred to him as "useless", using the Hindi term "nikamma". At a CLP meeting Thursday, Gehlot urged Congress MLAs to forget the acrimony of the past month and move on.

"As the Legislative Assembly session begins today, It would be the victory of the people of Rajasthan and the unity of our Congress MLAs, it would be a victory of truth: Satyamev Jayate," Gehlot tweeted Friday.