Madhya Pradesh Speaker issues notices to 22 rebel MLAs, seeks reply by Friday

Amid uncertainty over the fate of the Kamal Nath government following revolt by Jyotiraditya Scindia and his supporters, assembly speaker NP Prajapati on Thursday issued notices to 19 rebel Congress MLAs, who had sent their resignation from a resort in Bengaluru last week, to appear before him in two days.

The speaker said in the notice that he wants to satisfy himself whether the MLAs resigned on their own accord or under external pressure.

He has summoned six of the rebels on Friday, seven on Saturday and remaining on Sunday.

Meanwhile, former BJP minister Bhupedra Singh called on the speaker and urged him to accept the resignation of two other Congress MLAs Bisahu Lal Singh and Manoj Choudhary. These two MLAs were in Bhopal and were not a part of the rebels camping in Bengaluru. They had joined the revolt against the Congress government a day later.

Dismissing the media query whether the Kamal Nath government is reduced to a minority, the speaker snapped, ‘don’t ask hypothetical question”.

“I have issued notices to 19 MLAs and acting as per the rules. I am bound by rules and procedures”, he told the media.

Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said the Kamal Nath government was prepared for a floor test but not before the decision on the resignations of the MLAs is taken.

On the other hand, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government has lost majority but added that the BJP has nothing to do in this ‘internal matter” of the Congress.

He raised the question of propriety on the “minority” government summoning budget session and requesting the governor to address the house.

Supreme Court lawyer and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha warned of moving court for the rescue of the rebel MLAs held captive in Bengaluru. He accused the BJP of holding the rebels hostage, saying this is against the law.

Senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, who was on the forefront of the toppling game, said this government is unlikely to last beyond 8-10 days. The state is facing constitutional crisis, he added.

The budget session is scheduled to begin from March 16. On March 18, the finance minister will present the annual budget.

If the budget is not passed due to constitutional crisis in the state, a vote on account will be passed for necessary expenditures. .

The BJP is demanding floor test on the first day of the budget session whereas the Congress is insisting on the speaker’s decision on the MLAs’ resignation before floor test.