Claims and counterclaims as Madhya Pradesh waits for SC order

Bhopal: Congress and BJP camps had a quieter day in Bhopal while awaiting the Supreme Court order on former CM Shivraj Chouhan’s plea for an immediate floor test. Most leaders remained indoors strategising while continuing series of parleys.

The morning began with Congress releasing a letter CM Kamal Nath sent to governor Lalji Tandon, where he said he was disappointed with the governor’s remarks while claiming he had a majority. Nath said rebel Congress MLAs should be brought back to Bhopal from Bengaluru to ensure they made an independent decision.

“Let the 16 MLAs who have been held captive be released. Let them live in their respective houses for 5-7 days without any fear so that they can take an independent decision,” the letter said. The CM challenged Tandon’s order to hold the floor test on Tuesday and said to presume he had lost the majority if the test was not held would be “unconstitutional”. “Your belief I do not have the majority should I not conduct a floor test in MP assembly on March 17 will be unconstitutional because of it being baseless,” Nath said.


Countering Nath, 16 Congress MLAs who had sent in their resignations held a news conference to claim that they were in Bengaluru of their own will. Some of them accused the Nath government of developing only Chhindwara, the CM’s constituency. However, Congress leader PC Sharma, later played old video clips where the same MLAs praised the Nath government. “If these MLAs are free why are they not coming to Bhopal, even after we have promised full security,” Sharma asked.

Legislators of both parties in hotels have been turning restless though the parties have been trying to motivate them. Ever since Congress MLAs returned from Jaipur, they were taken to the CM’s residence in buses every evening. Some of the MLAs were allowed to go out for some time and report back to the hotel. In BJP, senior leaders such as Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state president VD Sharma were spending maximum time with the MLAs. Chouhan makes it a point to have lunch with the MLAs at the hotel.