MP CM trying to save govt by allurement and pressure: Shivraj Chouhan

Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has moved the supreme court seeking immediate floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, on Tuesday accused the Kamal Nath government of employing "pressure and allurement" tactics to save it from falling.

Chouhan's statement came hours after the apex court asked the state government to give by Wednesday its response to his plea seeking a direction for an immediate floor test.

Chouhan also reiterated that the saffron party has the requisite numbers to prove its majority on the floor of the House.

"Everything will be clear...The Kamal Nath government should face the floor test at the earliest. They are buying time so that the attempts could be made to save the government through pressure and allurement," Chouhan told reporters here when asked about the apex court order.

He said the BJP paraded its MLAs in front of Governor Lalji Tandon on Monday.

"The Kamal Nath government has lost majority (in view of resignations by 22 MLAs of Congress last week). The BJP has the required majority among the available numbers in the House and it will be proved in the Assembly," the former chief minister said.

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.

The floor test was ordered by the governor who wrote to Nath on Saturday night, saying that 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.

On Monday evening, the governor once again directed Nath to hold a floor test on Tuesday.

After meeting the governor in night, Nath claimed that his government enjoys majority, virtually ruled out holding a floor test as demanded by the BJP.

In his two letters to the governor, Nath had stated that the MLAs of Congress who have resigned are held in captivity in Bengaluru by the BJP with the help of local police.