SC seeks response of Madhya Pradesh govt on Chouhan's plea seeking floor test
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh to give by Wednesday its response to former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's plea seeking a direction for an immediate floor test in the assembly.
A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday said it will issue notice to the state government and others, including the secretary of the legislative assembly, for tomorrow at 10.30 am.
Chouhan and nine other BJP lawmakers, including leader of opposition in the state assembly, moved the Supreme Court on Monday just after Speaker N P Prajapati cited coronavirus concerns and adjourned the house till March 26 without taking the floor test, apparently defying Governor Lalji Tandon's directions.
Appearing for the senior BJP leader and three-time chief minister, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said "the rationale in this case is that a floor test is required and usually the other side appears in such cases".
Taking note of the submission, the bench said, "We will have to issue a sought notice and keep it for tomorrow morning."
The bench then took note of the submission of senior advocate Maninder Singh appearing for 16 rebel Congress MLAs that they be also allowed to become parties to Chouhan's petition.
Singh said 22 Congress MLAs have resigned from the assembly and the resignations of six lawmakers have already been accepted. He said the remaining 16 MLAs also want their resignations to be accepted.
The bench granted Chouhan the liberty to serve the copy of the petition to the state government, speaker and others through e-mail besides traditional modes of service notice.
On Saturday night, the Madhya Pradesh governor wrote to Nath asking him to seek a trust vote in the assembly soon after the governor's address on Monday, saying his government was in a minority.
After the speaker accepted the resignation of six Congress MLAs on Saturday, the party now has 108 legislators. These include 16 rebel legislators who have also put in their papers but their resignations are yet to be accepted.
The BJP has 107 seats in the House, which now has an effective strength of 222, with the majority mark being 112.
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Bengal: Murder of Suvendu aide sparks political row; BJP, TMC trade barbs
Kolkata (PTI): The murder of a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari triggered political confrontation in West Bengal on Thursday, with the saffron camp accusing the TMC of fostering "lawlessness" and the Mamata Banerjee-led party rejecting the charge.
In a shocking development within 48 hours of the assembly poll verdict, Chandranath Rath, Adhikari's executive assistant, was shot dead in a brazen attack at Madhyamgram on Wednesday night, escalating tension in the area.
According to preliminary information, motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Rath's vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm, forced it to stop and opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing.
Senior BJP leaders on Thursday alleged that the killing reflected the "complete collapse" of law and order in the state under the rule of the TMC government, which was "thrown out of power" in the assembly polls.
"A person closely associated with the leader of the opposition was targeted in a planned manner. This shows how law and order have deteriorated under the Mamata Banerjee government, which the people of Bengal have thrown out of power," a BJP leader said.
Adhikari on Thursday described the gunning down of his close aide as a "cold-blooded murder" and alleged that the killers had carried out a recce before executing the attack in North 24 Parganas district.
The Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of attempting to politicise the incident before the investigation had progressed.
"The TMC has nothing to do with this unfortunate incident. The police are investigating the case professionally. The BJP should refrain from making baseless accusations. We are the ones who demanded a CBI probe of the killing," a senior Trinamool leader said.
The Congress demanded a transparent probe and criticised both the BJP and the TMC for "turning every tragedy into a political battle".
"The focus should remain on arresting the killers and ensuring justice, not on political point-scoring," a state Congress leader said.
The CPI(M) also condemned the killing and expressed concern over the deteriorating political atmosphere in the state.
"Violence and fear have increasingly become part of Bengal's political culture under the TMC rule. The administration must act firmly and impartially. We condemn the killing and demand strict action against those involved in the crime," a senior CPI(M) leader said.
