Madhya Pradesh: Kamal Nath meets governor amid crisis, says ready for floor test
Bhopal: Expressing the readiness of his government for a floor test in the Assembly, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday accused the BJP of holding 22 Congress MLAs in captivity.
Nath said he will welcome a floor test in the assembly, whose budget session is beginning from March 16, on a date fixed by the speaker.
The chief minister made the statement after calling on Governor Lalji Tandon here, his first meeting since rebellion by a section of Congress MLAs three days ago which pushed his government into crisis.
He also submitted to the governor a three-page letter in which he accused the BJP of being involved in horse- trading and holding the rebel Congress MLAs in captivity.
The opposition BJP has consistently denied the Congress charge of poaching MLAs to topple its government.
The CM-governor meeting at Raj Bhavan, which began around 11 am, lasted for around half an hour.
I wished Governor on the occasion of Holi. Our 22 MLAs are being held captive. I have submitted a letter to him alleging horse-trading by the BJP.
"I have demanded that these MLAs be released immediately. Floor test can be held anytime, Nath told reporters after meeting Tandon.
Naths letter said, As a responsible leader of Indian National Congress, I invite and would welcome a floor test of my government in the forthcoming session of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly already notified from March 16, 2020, on a date fixed by the Speaker.
"This is the minimum a constitutional authority can offer to address the ongoing turmoil."
Nath sought the governor's intervention for release of the captive Congress MLAs.
We request your excellency may use your good office as constitutional Head of the state with the Union Home Minister to ensure the release of MLAs held captive in Bengaluru.
We expect enquiry and investigation in the resignation letters submitted by the BJP allegedly of the captive Congress MLAs and its timely completion, the letter said.
Nath mentioned the sequence of events from the intervening night of March 3-4 to March 10, and claimed there were incidents of horse-trading during this period.
In the first attempt (of horse trading), on 3rd/4th of March 2020, the mid-night drama leading to whisking away the MLAs to Bengaluru is in public domain," he said in the letter.
Post failure of first attempt, the BJP, on March 8, 2020, arranged three chartered aircraft to whisk away 19 MLAs of the Congress to Bengaluru. Since then these 19 MLAs, of who six are cabinet ministers, are incommunicado in the resort arranged by the BJP," the chief minister said.
"Nobody is allowed access and/or any sort of communication with the 19 captive MLAs," he said.
Nath pointed out that senior BJP leaders reached the speakers residence at about 5.50 pm on March 10 to handover 19 resignation letters allegedly of these Congress MLAs.
None of these MLAs were present to tender their resignation, he said.
In a most unusual act and/or conduct, the resignation of 19 Congress MLAs are submitted by leaders of BJP and not by MLAs themselves. This demonstrates the complicity of BJP leaders in entire conspiracy and illegal action, the letter stated.
The CM also mentioned about the incident on Thursday in Bengaluru where MP ministers Jitu Patwari and Lakhan Singh were allegedly manhandled by the police when they reached to meet Congress MLA Manoj Choudhary.
"In these circumstances, the very edifice of democracy is in danger," Nath said in the letter
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New Delhi, May 20: Days after snubbing him for questioning TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's trustworthiness, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge heaped praise on the party's West Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday, lauding him as a "ladaku sipahi" (combative soldier) of the grand old party.
Kharge snubbed Chowdhury, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur in West Bengal, last week for his remarks that Banerjee cannot be trusted and that she might also go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Woh hamarey ladaku sipahi hain (he is our combative solider)," Kharge said on Monday about Chowdhury, who has only intensified his offensive against Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, by alleging that she has used violence to crush the Congress in the state and has been helping the BJP.
Asked if the Congress is making the same mistake with Chowdhury as it had made with Banerjee in 1998, when she quit the party to float her own outfit protesting against its coyness in the face of Left "atrocities" on its cadre in West Bengal, Kharge told PTI, "I do not want to speak about an individual. He (Chowdhury) is a combative soldier of the Congress party and is our leader in West Bengal."
He said some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders are now trying to rake up the issue of the Congress's alliance with the Left but it will not work.
"They are trying to present it differently. But it will not happen like this as the Congress party is strong and understands each other. What has happened in West Bengal is that the Congress high command has taken a decision to have a coalition with the Left and we are moving forward with that," Kharge said.
The TMC is contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls on its own in the state, while the Congress and the Left are jointly fighting the election.
Kharge on Saturday dismissed Chowdhury's criticism of Banerjee while addressing a joint press conference with Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
"Mamata Banerjee is with the (INDI) alliance. She has recently said she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command, and those who do not agree will go out," Kharge said in remarks that riled Chowdhury's supporters in Bengal.
Reacting to Kharge's comments, Chowdhury said, "I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I do not want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee's) personal agenda."
After Kharge's remarks, several posters and hoardings of the Congress president were defaced with ink in front of the state Congress headquarters in Kolkata on Sunday.
The Congress has issued a stern warning to those indulging in anti-party activities in West Bengal and asked its state unit to submit a report on the hoardings vandalised outside the party office in Kolkata.
Taking serious note of such acts, AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal has said the party would not tolerate such "gross indiscipline".
"We are taking very serious note of such grave anti-party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline. The general secretary in-charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report on these acts of gross indiscipline," Venugopal said in a statement.
He said it has been brought to the party high command's notice that a few office-bearers and workers of the party have made certain uncharitable remarks against Kharge in the media as well as on social media.
"Acts of vandalising hoardings outside the WBPCC office have also been carried out by certain miscreants. This has hurt the sentiments of millions of party workers and supporters," Venugopal said.
Unidentified people also wrote "agent of Trinamool Congress" on Kharge's posters and hoardings in Kolkata.
Chowdhury has expressed displeasure over the incident and asked party workers to get a police complaint lodged.
Banerjee, who had initially said she will extend outside support to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties if it comes to power, has subsequently said she is very much part of the anti-BJP coalition at the national level and would form the next government at the Centre with it.
However, the West Bengal chief minister has also alleged that the state units of both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress, who are part of the alliance, have joined hands and helped the BJP in the state.
The TMC walked out of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January.
