Crisis engulfs MP as MLAs camp in Gurugram hotel, CM says all's well

With allegations of horse-trading doing the rounds in Madhya Pradesh, in the backdrop of a few MLAs camping at a star hotel in Gurugram, Haryana, a political crisis is brewing in the state where the Congress government enjoys a wafer-thin majority. However, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has ruled out any threat to his 15-month old government.

Reports say that eight MLAs – four from the Congress, two from the Samajwadi Party (SP), one from the BSP besides an independent – were moved to Gurugram.

Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister, Jitu Patwari accused the BJP of attempting to topple the government. This comes hours after senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh claimed that a senior leader of the saffron party had taken Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Ramabai to Delhi in a chartered flight who has since returned to the Congress fold.

“When we got to know, Jitu Patwari and Jaivardhan Singh went there. People with whom our contact was established were ready to come back to us. We were able to get in touch with Ramabai and Bisahulal Singh. Ramabai came back, even when BJP tried to stop her,” Singh told ANI.

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He further alleged that the BJP was attempting to bribe the MLAs and a raid would have exposed them. He said, “BJP’s Rampal Singh, Narottam Mishra, Arvind Bhadauria, Sanjay Pathak were going to give them money. Had there been a raid, they would have been caught…We think 10-11 MLAs were there, only four are still with them now, they will also come back to us.”

The opposition BJP dismissed the claim of Madhya Pradesh’s former chief minister and said his statement was aimed at ensuring his re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha polls from the state scheduled for March 26.

BJP vice-president and MLA Rameshwar Sharma told PTI that people don’t take the Congress veteran seriously.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath also told PTI: “Things are under control. There is nothing like that. The MLAs will come back”.

In a House of 230, the Congress enjoys the support of 114 MLAs while the BJP has the strength of 107. BSP has two, SP one and there are four independents.