Madhya Pradesh Governor expels 6 rebel ministers amid government crisis
Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon on Friday expelled six ministers from the state Cabinet upon the recommendation of Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The development comes three days after 22 Congress MLAs in MP tendered their resignations leaving the government in crisis. The Nath-led Congress government now awaits a floor test in the state Assembly. Here are more details.
6 expelled ministers camping in Bengaluru resort
According to ANI, Tandon expelled ministers Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pardyuman Singh Tomar, and Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary. The six ministers had rebelled against the Kamal Nath government and have been camping at a resort in Bengaluru in BJP-ruled Karnataka, where 13 other MLAs are also present. Earlier in the day, Nath had met Tandon at Raj Bhavan.
CrPC Section 144 imposed at Bhopal airport
Separately, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were imposed at the Bhopal airport where groups of Congress and BJP supporters had gathered. Supporters of the two parties had reportedly clashed at the airport.
Kamal Nath requests Governor for floor test
MP CM Kamal Nath on Friday briefed Governor Tandon about the prevailing political situation in the state during their meeting at Raj Bhavan. The ruling Congress party has accused the BJP of horse-trading and holding its MLAs captive in a Bengaluru resort. Nath has requested the Governor to hold a floor test in the Assembly session, which starts on March 16 (Tuesday).
Assembly Speaker sent notices to 22 rebel MLAs
Notably, MP Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati served notices to all 22 rebel Congress MLAs, asking them to appear before him by Friday, a legislature official told PTI on Thursday. The Speaker has also asked them to clarify if they quit voluntarily or under pressure.
MP government crisis deepened after Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation
The crisis in the MP government started with the resignation of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Scindia has since joined the rival BJP. The MLAs loyal to Scindia have also submitted their resignation. In his resignation letter, dated March 9, Scindia stated that he could not serve the people of the state or the country while working with the Congress party.
22 MLAs' resignation could make Congress government lose majority
The MP Assembly has 230 seats, with its current strength at 228. The Congress has 114 MLAs, the support of four Independents, one SP MLA and two BSP MLAs. With the departure of the 22 MLAs, the majority mark would come down to 104. This would cause the Congress to lose majority, as their strength slips to 99. The BJP has 107 MLAs.
