Madhya Pradesh political crisis: Congress MLAs return to Bhopal from Jaipur
Bhopal: A day before the budget session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly begins, the Congress MLAs, who had been camping in Jaipur amid the political crisis being faced by the Kamal Nath government, returned to Bhopal on Sunday.
Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon had late Saturday night directed Chief Minister Kamal Nath to seek a trust vote in the assembly on Monday.
Talking to PTI, a Congress MLA said the party legislators have returned to the state capital from Rajasthan.
"After landing at Bhopal airport, we are being taken to a hotel in buses. Instead of returning home, we will stay in Bhopal as the budget session of the assembly will start on Monday," the MLA said.
The Congress Legislature Party had on Saturday issued a whip, asking its MLAs to remain present during the assembly session.
However, the BJP MLAs, who have been staying at a hotel in Haryana, have not returned to Bhopal so far. They had been flown to Haryana a few days back.
Meanwhile, the Congress expressed confidence that it will prove its majority in the House, while the opposition BJP claimed that the ruling dispensation has been reduced to minority as 22 of its MLAs have resigned.
"We are confident of proving our majority," state Public Relations Minister P C Sharma said.
He said although the governor has asked the Congress government to seek a trust vote after his (governor's) address in the assembly on Monday, the Speaker was empowered to decide about the proceedings of the House and he would take a call on it.
However, BJP chief whip in the assembly, Narottam Mishra, said, "The Congress has lost its majority. The governor is saying that was in minority. I am not saying this...it has been mentioned it the governor's letter sent to chief minister."
The Kamal Nath-led government has been facing a deep crisis following the resignation of 22 Congress MLAs after former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party on Tuesday. A day later, Scindia joined the BJP.
On Saturday, the Speaker had accepted the resignations of six ministers, who are among the 22 rebel MLAs. With this, the strength of the House has come down to 222 and the majority mark is now 112.
However, the resignations of 16 other rebel legislators, have not been accepted so far. The Congress now has a wafer-thin majority in the 222 -member House.
The Congress's strength has now come down to 92, after its 22 legislators rebelled and resigned few days back. Before the rebellion, its tally was 114.
The Congress also has the support of four Independents, two BSP MLAs and one from the SP, but some may now switch sides to the BJP.
The BJP has 107 seats, just five short for the majority mark.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
