CM Kamal Nath seeks removal of 6 ministers; 22 MLAs resign in MP

Hours after Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation from the party to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday (March 10), Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath sought the removal of six ministers from the cabinet.

Kamal Nath wrote to Governor Lalji Tandon and recommended the immediate removal of Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silavat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, and Prabhu Ram Chaudhary.

Meanwhile, 22 MLAs have tendered their resignations from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

Earlier, Scindia had shared a copy of his resignation letter dated March 9, on Twitter. He is speculated to join the BJP.

Stating that it was “time for him to move on” after being a party member for 18 years, Scindia in the letter said that his decision was drawn over a year’s time.

“I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year,” he wrote.

Soon after Scindia’s resignation, the Congress in a statement announced that he has been expelled from the party for “anti-party” activities.

Related news: Amid signs of trouble in MP, Sonia meets Kamal Nath, discusses RS nominees 

“The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities,” AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said in the statement.

Scindia’s announcement of his resignation came soon after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday morning.

It is being speculated that he may join the BJP, taking along his entourage of around 20 MLAs (according to varying reports) and subsequently dismantling the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh.

The warning bells rang for the Kamal Nath government on Monday (March 9) evening after 17 of his MLAs – all of them Scindia loyalists from the Chambal-Gwalior belt – went missing. Sources say, the MLAs were flown in a chartered flight on Monday night and have been lodged in a resort in Bengaluru, which is ruled by the BJP.

Latest reports say 18 MLAs including 16 Congress rebels have been put up at a resort near Bengaluru.

“We came to know that in the first flight 10 people arrived and in the second seven had arrived. Of them one is a personal assistant of a CM aspirant,” PTI quoted sources as saying.

Related news: Team Scindia stays elusive in MP, Kamal Nath faults BJP for crisis

“Two MLAs were already in the city. With them there are about 18 MLAs here,” they added.

Several reports attribute the crisis to a battle between Digvijay Singh and Scindia for two of the three Rajya Sabha seats from the state. The third seat is expected to go to the BJP.

Quoting sources close to Scindia, an Indian Express report said, the Congress leader, who has felt “ignored” and “upset” for having to play second fiddle to Kamal Nath in the government, expects to be the first choice for the Rajya Sabha seats.

With the elections slated for March 26, the last date for filing nominations for the three seats is March 13.

The Congress enjoys a wafer-thin majority in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, with an MLA strength of 114 and is supported by two MLAs of BSP, one of Samajwadi Party and four independents. The BJP has 107 MLAs in the 228-member Assembly (minus the two deceased legislators).