Congress observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken on Monday briefed party president Sonia Gandhi about the developments in Rajasthan and are expected to submit a written report about the crisis in the party's state unit latest by Tuesday.
Talking to reporters after a nearly one-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with Gandhi, AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken said the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting was organised with the consent of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, and termed the act of the MLAs loyal to him to hold a parallel meeting as "indiscipline".
AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal was also present during the meeting.
Maken said it was "unfortunate" that the CLP meeting could not be held.
"Kharge ji and I have apprised the Congress president of the CLP meeting in Rajasthan. The Congress president has sought a written report on the entire chronology, which we will submit by late night or tomorrow," he said.
The senior leader said the Congress president had asked the observers to meet all MLAs separately.
There was a clear direction by the Congress president that "we speak to every MLA and submit a report, and then the Congress president would have taken a call after speaking to everyone", he specified, adding that this was made clear to everyone.
The CLP meeting was called to pass a resolution authorising the Congress president to take a decision on Gehlot's successor.
But according to Maken, the representatives of the MLAs loyal to the chief minister put forward three conditions, including that the decision on the next chief minister would be taken by the new party president.
"How is it possible that the person moving the resolution authorises the Congress president... that person wants to fight AICC president polls and if he wins the polls, he would decide on it? If this is not conflict of interest, what is?" he said in a reference to Gehlot.
Maken said the MLAs loyal to Gehlot wanted to meet in groups as opposed to the high command's order to meet them separately, saying there was no precedent to such an act in the party.
"In a CLP meet, one-on-one meeting is held so that they (MLAs) can express themselves freely. They also said the chief minister should be chosen from among those MLAs loyal to Ashok Gehlot in 2020, to which we said that we will convey their views to the Congress president, but no conditions can be attached to a resolution. We have given the briefing to Sonia ji and will give a written report," he said.
"When a CLP meeting is held, holding a parallel meeting of MLAs is prima facie indiscipline," he added.
