Madhya Pradesh Government Updates: Assembly adjourned till 26 March; undemocratic to hold floor test with Congress MLAs missing, says Kamal Nath

Assembly adjourned till 26 March

No floor test will be held in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly today with the House being adjourned till 26 March in view of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with ministers and the BJP chief, in which the political crisis in the state was discussed.

All democratic protocols must be followed: Governor

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon gave a short address as the Budget session of the state Assembly began. He said, “All must follow the rules under the Constitution so that dignity of Madhya Pradesh remains protected.” He also directed MLAs to follow all democratic protocols.

Governor to address Assembly shortly

The Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has reached the Assembly and will address the House soon. While he ordered a floor test to be held today, the day’s list of business did not include the item.

Floor test will be undemocratic: Kamal Nath writes to Governor

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath wrote a letter to the Governor Lalji Tandon saying that it will be undemocratic to hold a floor test today in the absence of at least 16 of the party’s MLAs. He said that the MLAs were being held captive, CNN-News18 reported.

In a letter written yesterday, the Governor directed Nath to seek a trust vote in the Assembly soon after the former’s address on 16 March. “I came to know that 22 MLAs have sent their resignations to the MP Assembly speaker and they have also informed about it on electronic and print media. I have seen the coverage on both media with attention,” the letter, dated March 14, said.

Congress, BJP MLAs reach Madhya Pradesh Assembly

Ahead of a possible floor test, Congress and BJP MLAs reached the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

Meanwhile, sources in Jyotiraditya Scindia camp told PTI that 22 Congress MLAs who resigned last week may not be coming to Bhopal.

#MadhyaPradesh CM Kamal Nath with his party MLAs at the State Assembly in Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/X2S2whbmzT

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2020

Madhya Pradesh: Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP MLAs at the state Assembly in Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/Wm7wtZjjx4

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2020

Congress leaders question absence of 16 leaders

Madhya Pradesh Minister PC Sharma said that even though the party is ready to face the floor test, 16 Congress MLAs have disappeared, about which Chief Minister Kamal Nath has reported to Home Minister Amit Shah. State minister Jitu Patawari alleged that these MLAs have been kidnapped.

“Narendra Modi has discovered a model to kill the democracy – abduct and lure MLAs, keep them in police custody, record and make their videos viral and then demand a floor test,” Patwari said.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Gopal Bhargav demanded Nath’s resignation on moral grounds, adding that his government has been defeated.

How the numbers are stacked up in MP Assembly

After the resignations of six MLAs were accepted, the strength of the 228-member House has come down to 222. The BJP has 107 members and the Congress 108. The Samajwadi Party has asked its lone member to vote for the Congress. There are four Independents and two BSP MLAs.

Both BJP and Congress have issued whips to its MLAs to attend the Assembly session today.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan hold meeting with BJP MLAs

Hours after BJP MLAs returned to Bhopal, former CM and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan chairs a meeting with them at a city hotel. 

BJP legislators returned to Bhopal in the early hours of Monday in a chartered plane after spending five days at a resort in Haryana. The party had taken its MLAs to the Manesar resort on 10 March in a bid to keep it’s flock together amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh.

Congress MLAs, who were lodged in two resorts in Jaipur, returned to Bhopal on Sunday and are put up in Hotel Courtyard Marriott in MP Nagar locality, about one kilometer from the assembly.

Rebel Congress MLAs being terrorised: PC Sharma

Madhya Pradesh Minister PC Sharma said that the rebel Congress MLAs, who were lodged at a resort in Bengaluru are being “hypnotized and terrorised” and are not being allowed to return to the state. He added that the families of these MLAs are being harrassed.

Floor test to be conducted by raising hands

In the absence of an electronic voting system in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, a floor test will be held by the method of raising hands.

The 228-member Assembly saw the Congress government being in a minority after 22 MLAs loyal to now BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered their resignations last week.

Floor test not mentioned in Assembly’s list of business

Even after Governor Lalji Tandon ordered that a floor test be held in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Monday, the item was missing from the day’s list of business.

Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava, who returned to Bhopal after staying with other BJP MLAs at a hotel in Gurugram said, “We will raise this issue. The Speaker will have to follow the Governor’s orders.”

Shivraj Singh Chouhan asks why Congress is ‘running away’ from floor test

BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked why the Kamal Nath-led Congress government is avoiding a floor test. “We will ask govt to bring a confidence motion tomorrow. Our only demand is a floor test. The chief minister has said he wants a floor test, then why is he not doing it?” he asked.

e further said that Governor Lalji Tandon had ordered that a floor test be held on Monday, but the CM is putting the onus on the Speaker, who “works on what is decided by the government”.

Ready for floor test, Kamal Nath tells Governor

After a meeting with the Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon on Sunday night, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that he is ready for a floor test in the state Assembly. He added that whether the floor test will be conducted will be decided by Speaker NP Prajapati.

“I have told Governor that the MLAs who have been held captive should be released,” he also told reporters.