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MP saga: BJP confident, but Cong not to throw in towel
Bhopal, March 10
Two simultaneous legislative party meetings of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) presented a stark contrast here on Monday evening.
The meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) held at Chief Minister Kamal Nath's residence was reported to have been attended by 93 members, including four Independents. Only 88 Congress MLAs were present, suggesting the absence of 26 MLAs.
While 22 resignations from a total strength of 114 have been accounted for, mystery continued over the absence of four others. The mood was expectedly sombre. The one Samajwadi Party member and two BSP members did not attend the meeting possibly due to the technical reason of not belonging to the Congress.
One key takeaway from the meeting was that the Congress was not willing to throw in the towel and would continue to fight to finish.
The development came after Congress strongman from Madhya Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia severed his nearly two-decade long association with the party on Tuesday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here along with Home Minister Amit Shah, sinking the Kamal Nath-led 15-month-old MP government into a deep crisis.
The Speaker's office said that it has received only 19 resignations so far and will decide on them in due time.
The ruling party then decided to send former minister Sajjan Singh Verma to Bengaluru to see if all those kept there had resigned on their own volition or were coerced into quitting the party. It is another matter whether Verma would be allowed to meet them.
The BJP legislative party met in a celebratory mood, but no decision was taken in the meeting. Earlier, reports had suggested that former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Siingh Chouhan would be handed the leadership of the party in place of Gopal Bhargava.
The decision seems to have been deferred and Chouhan has been asked to be in Delhi at the earliest. He is likely to be in Delhi on Wednesday.
The new state chief of the saffron party, V.D. Sharma, who seems to have started on an auspicious note, was very cheerful to be welcomed by Bhargava. He expressed assurance to see the party in power soon.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Laxman Singh had said that the Kamal Nath-led government should be prepared to sit in the opposition as it will not survive in the state. But he changed his posture after the CLP meeting, saying that even with current numbers, the Congress could fight with BJP's numbers acquired through unfair means.
Laxman Singh happens to be the younger brother of former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. "I will meet Chief Minister Kamal Nath to discuss the future strategy," Laxman Singh said.
The number game at 0 p.m. on Tuesday:
Total strength of the Assembly: 230 (-2) = 228
Resignations so far: 22
Strength on possible acceptance of resignations: 206
Majority mark: 104
BJP: 107
Congress: 92 + BSP 2 + SP 1 + Independents 4 = 99
With the Congress's clout being substantially reduced, it is has very slim chance of pulling it off hereabouts.
Did Kamal Nath, Digvijaya's ambitions for sons doom MP govt?
Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the Congress in Madhya Pradesh poses two questions: Was it a gameplan in Congress that proved far more effective than BJP, or a plan to weed out thorns that stood in the road to advancement for the sons of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh?
According to Congress sources, it was the party's strategy that lay behind Scindia's rebellion. If Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh had wished, the crisis could have been averted. Digvijaya Singh stood in Scindia's path for the Rajya Sabha seat and allegedly ensured that Scindia was not even allowed to meet interim President Sonia Gandhi.
Party sources also claim that it was Scindia's tremendous campaigning that notched Congress a win in the Assembly elections in 2018. After which Scindia became the main contender for the Chief Ministerial post. But, the party leadership preferred veteran Kamal Nath over him.
When Scindia got weakened in the party, his supporting MLAs and other activists also felt neglected by their own government. His supporters felt that after the 'Maharaj' of Gwalior came to hold the reins of the state unit, he could succeed in putting pressure on Kamal Nath.
Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath also knew that if Scindia became the state President, they would have to run the government under the pressure of the organisation. In such a situation, Scindia's attempt did not succeed.
Now, Scindia felt Delhi politics would be a better option through the Rajya Sabha seat. A total of three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh are to be elected on March 26. In this, with the votes of first preference, the Congress and BJP are fixed as one seat each and the fight is on for the third seat.
According to party sources, the Congress refused to give Scindia a first preference secured seat. The fight on the second seat was not fraught with danger. Sources also say that the party offered him a ticket from Chhattisgarh but Scindia refused.
Sources added that Kamal Nath has made his son Nakul Nath a political heir from his traditional Chhindwara seat, while Digvijay's son Jaivardhan Singh was a minister in the current Kamal Nath government. After the retirement of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, Scindia's road would open up forever in Madhya Pradesh. In such a situation, the aspirations of both the leaders sons might end in vain.
