'Unhappy MLAs should attend assembly session': Gehlot to rebel legislators

Watch: Congress MLAs celebrate Bharosi Lal's birthday at Hotel Suryagarh in Jaisalmer

Rajasthan Congress MLAs lodged at Hotel Suryagarh in Jaisalmer celebrated the birthday of Congress MLA Bharosi Lal Jatav on August 03. Congress MLAs supporting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are lodged at Suryagarh hotel. They reached Suryagarh Hotel in Jaisalmer on August 31. They were earlier lodged at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.

'Declare locust attack national disaster', CM Gehlot appeals to PM Modi

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on August 2 said that he has written to PM regarding locust menace in the state. He said, "I had seen such menace only 30 years back. This year it's massive. Only 2-3 districts of the state have not seen locust attacks, crops are getting destroyed. I have requested the PM to declare this a national disaster," "Farmers should be given compensation for the damage of their crops and a survey should be done for the same," added Gehlot.

Watch: Devotees offer prayers as nation celebrates Eid al-Adha amid pandemic

Nation celebrated Eid al-Adha on Saturday amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Devotees across nation offer prayers at mosques and at their homes on the occasion. People were seen offering prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi. Temperature of devotees was checked as a precautionary measure. People also offered prayers at Delhi's Fatehpuri Masjid. Devotees were seen offering prayers while following all Covid norms. They maintained social distancing and wore face covers as they visited mosques in the city to offer prayers. They also avoided hugging and shaking hands with each other after the prayers to prevent the spread of the infection. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi offered prayers at his residence. Naqvi wished countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia greeted Delhiites on the festival. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar extended his Eid greetings to people. Wishing people on the occasion, BSP chief Mayawati appealed to them to celebrate the festival at home in view of the surge in Covid cases. Eid al-Adha or Bakrid is the festival of sacrifice. Devotees distribute the offering to family, friends and neighbours. They also distribute the offering to poor and needy.

Sachin Pilot congratulates Rajasthan's new Congress chief amid political crisis

Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot congratulated state's new Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Wednesday. Pilot also hoped that the new chief will take care of the party workers whose hard work helped Congress to form the government in the state. Pilot's statement came after Dotasra formally took over as Rajasthan Congress chief. Pilot was Congress chief in Rajasthan before he was sacked from the post earlier this month. He was sacked after he rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Pilot was the Congress president in Rajasthan for six years. He was widely credited for leading party to victory in 2018 assembly polls. Meanwhile, CM Gehlot trooped to the residence of Governor Kalraj Mishra. This came after Raj Bhavan returned his proposal to convene session of state assembly for third time. The state government had proposed Mishra to reiterate its demand to convene assembly session from July 31. Gehlot government, however, didn't mention whether it will seek a trust vote in the House. Earlier, Mishra had suggested a 21-day notice period to convene the House. He had sought clarity on session’s agenda and also advised live-streaming of the floor test, in case it was held. Mishra had also asked about Covid-19 pandemic-related precautions in the assembly.

Watch: This Jodhpur restaurant serves 'Covid curry' & 'mask naan'

A restaurant in Jodhpur is making news for some of the dishes in its menu. This restaurant has found a unique way to spread awareness about the Covid pandemic. On their menu is a dish called 'covid curry' and a 'mask naan' that customers in their restaurant are finding fascinating. A customer who was at the restaurant said that she is impressed by the dish and also the preventive measures in place at the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant said that they want to spread a message about covid via food. He also stressed that they ensure proper sanitization and focus on hygiene to keep customers safe. The restaurant is also providing digital menus so people can access it on their phone and place their orders without having to use a physical menu. Over 42,000 Covid cases have been reported in the state of Rajasthan so far with over 690 fatalities. Over 29,900 people have also recovered from Covid in the desert state so far. Watch the full video for all the details.

Congress never wanted foundation to be laid where Lord Ram was born: CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi visited Ram ki Paudi to inspect arrangements ahead of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan. Speaking to ANI, CM Yogi on August 03 lambasted on Congress and said that the party didn't want foundation stone be laid where Lord Ram was born. "Congress should look in its past. They didn't want that a foundation stone be laid where Lord Ram was placed. They didn't want the conclusion of the issue," said Adityanath in Ayodhya. Foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple is on August 05. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay foundation stone of Ram Temple.

Ram Temple politics: MP minister's 'asur' jibe at Digvijaya Singh

Politics over the Ram temple foundation laying event is escalating with every passing day. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh claimed that BJP leaders were being found Covid positive due since they're not following the beliefs of Hinduism. BJP was quick to respond with MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra likening the Congress leader to an 'asur'. Digivijaya Singh launched another attack on the BJP, this time mocking the foundation stone laying event on the 5th saying, Rajiv Gandhi had already performed Shilanyas earlier. Digvijaya has also called on PM Modi to defer the foundation laying ceremony saying that the date was inauspicious. The war of words come just two days before the grand 'bhoomi poojan' event in Ayodhya. PM Modi is all set to lay the foundation stone in the presence of 200 other dignitaries, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Grand preparations are underway in the temple town to make the event a mini-diwali like affair. Coming as it does in the middle of a pandemic, all preventive measures have also been taken at the temple site. Watch the full video for all the details.

Rajasthan Speaker's video with CM's son goes viral, BJP demands his resignation

The BJP is gunning for the resignation of the Rajasthan Speaker after a video of him discussing the political situation in the state went viral. In the video, which cannot be independently verified by Hindustan Times, the Speaker is seen telling CM Gehlot's son Vaibhav that if 30 MLAs had left from the camp, the situation could have been serious. Sachin Pilot, who has rebelled against the Gehlot government, had initially claimed that he enjoys the support of 30 Congress MLAs. Later the Speaker had sent disqualification notices to Pilot and his 18 loyalist MLAs. BJP state chief Satish Poonia said that the video proves beyond doubt that the Speaker is supposed to be impartial but the video shows that he is leaning towards the Congress government. The video comes a day after the Speaker approached the Supreme Court against the Rajasthan High Court order which agreed to examine the constitutional validity of a provision in the anti-defection law and ordered status quo in the disqualification proceedings against Pilot and his loyalists. Watch the full video for all the details.