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

The Madhya Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Kamal Nath, found itself on the brink as at least 17 MLAs, including six ministers remained incommunicado on Tuesday (March 10) too.

The legislators belonging to the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp did the vanishing act on Monday (March 9), prompting chief minister Kamal Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where around 20 ministers resigned to show their allegiance to him. The ministers have asked Kamal Nath to reconstitute the cabinet to accommodate rebel MLAs in the cabinet.

Kamal Nath has alleged that the BJP was trying to destabilise the government by whisking away the 17 MLAs. He, however, has asserted that he won’t allow the BJP to bring down his government.

Reports say the 17 MLAs have been flown in a chartered plane to Karnataka, where the BJP is in power.

Speculation was rife as the BJP’s national leadership getting into a huddle in Delhi. The BJP has called a meeting of its legislature party in Bhopal on Tuesday. The Congress legislature party is also expected to meet on the day.

The developments come weeks before elections to the Rajya Sabha. It is being speculated that Scindia may be offered a Rajya Sabha seat as first preference candidate.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who was in Delhi on Monday, returned to Bhopal after cutting short his visit to hold consultations with his supporters.

It is a known fact that his government enjoys a wafer-thin majority in the House. (In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress secured 114 seats in the 230-member assembly. The total strength was reduced to 228 following the death of two legislators. Now, the 114 Congress has the support of four Independents, two BSP MLAs and one SP MLA. The BJP had 109 members).

While calls made to Scindia by PTI remained unanswered, mobile phones of at least six ministers who are supporters of the Guna royal are switched off.

The ministers whose mobile phones are switched off included health minister Tulsi Silavat, labour minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, transport minister Govind Singh Rajput, women and child development minister Imarti Devi, food and civil supplies minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar and school education minister Dr Prabhura Choudhary.

Scindia is reportedly in Delhi. Grapevine has it that every effort is being made by the Congress to pacify him.

It’s a known fact that there is no love lost between Kamal Nath and Scindia. Scindia, who lost out to Nath in the race for chiefministership also couldn’t become the state Congress chief. And after having lost the last Lok Sabha polls in his constituency of Guna, he has been eyeing a Rajya Sabha berth, which too was difficult to come by.

But under the changed circumstances, Congress reportedly is willing to meet all his demands.

Related news: Missing independent MLA returns to Madhya Pradesh, says he supports Kamal Nath

When contacted for his reaction on the development, a Congress spokesman said there is nothing “serious”.

Earlier in the day, a section of Congress leaders demanded that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra be nominated from the state for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister.

Nath had left for Delhi on Sunday night to meet top Congress leaders to discuss the current political situation in the state and nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled
on March 26.

The Rajya Sabha terms of Congress veteran Digvijay Singh, and BJP leaders Prabhat Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya will end on April 9.

As per the arithmetic in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the two parties are sure to win one Rajya Sabha seat each, but a tussle is likely for the third seat.

While the Congress has 114 MLAs, the opposition BJP has 107 legislators.

Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government.

Two seats are vacant following the demise of a Congress and a BJP legislator.

Related news: When the BJP bells toll for the Congress govt in Madhya Pradesh

The political drama in the state began last week when ten Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh went missing. The party pointed fingers at the BJP, which denied any role in it.
Since then, eight of the missing legislators have returned and expressed their support to the ruling party in the state.

(With inputs from agencies)