New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) Three loyalists of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot -- ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi and party leader Dharmendra Rathore -- have replied to the show-cause notice issued by the Congress disciplinary committee over a rebellion by a large group of MLAs, sources said on Wednesday.

The disciplinary committee is likely hold its meeting soon to discuss further steps in the matter.

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The show-cause notice was issued to the trio after 82 MLAs did not attend an official legislature party meeting convened for passing a resolution authorising the Congress chief to appoint a successor to Gehlot, who was then about to contest the Congress presidential election, and participated in a parallel meeting at Dhariwal's residence in Jaipur laying down conditions to the party.

"The replies of all the three leaders have been received. Soon there will be an offline or online meeting of the disciplinary committee in which further course of action will be considered," a source said.

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The three leaders were in Delhi on Wednesday but there was no confirmation as to whether they met any senior leader.

The party's disciplinary committee had sent the notices after Congress observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken submitted their written report to party chief Sonia Gandhi charging the three state leaders with "gross indiscipline".

The Congress disciplinary panel's member secretary Tariq Anwar in the notice to Dhariwal, Joshi and Rathore had referred to Maken's report.

"Prima facie, the above charges are an act of grave indiscipline. Therefore, this show cause notice is being issued seeking your reply within 10 days as to why disciplinary action not be taken against you as per the provisions of the constitution of the Indian National Congress," the notice to all three leaders had read.

Anwar in his notice to Dhariwal had said that the observers' report has submitted that as the parliamentary affairs minister he sits on the dais and is a prominent speaker at all Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meetings in Rajasthan.

Apart from issuing statements, he has committed grave indiscipline by hosting a parallel MLAs' meeting at his residence and "pressuring them not to attend the official meeting", the notice read.

Rajasthan PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi was told that he, being the Chief Whip, officially informed every Congress MLA for the meeting slated to be held at 7 PM on September 25 at the chief minister's residence.

"You, as Chief Whip, have conducted grave indiscipline on two counts. Boycotting the official CLP meeting, even after you had informed (given notice) every Congress MLA to attend it, and by participating and convening a 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," the notice to Joshi had said.

In his notice to Rathore, who is the chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, Anwar had said he "made all logistical arrangements and were behind the entire planning of the unofficial meeting of the MLAs, held parallel to the official Rajasthan CLP meeting" which is an act of "grave indiscipline".

Legislators loyal to Gehlot wanted that if he is replaced, any of the 102 MLAs who supported the Gehlot government during the crisis in July 2020 should be elected chief minister.

In July 2020, the then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, along with 18 of his supporting MLAs, revolted against the leadership of Gehlot.

Gehlot had last month apologized to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for not being able to get the one-line resolution passed in Jaipur.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)