Hailing the Supreme Court order directing the Congress-led Madhya Pradesh government to take the floor test on Friday, BJP vice president and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan exuded confidence that the government would face defeat, paving the way for a new regime.
“Satyamev Jayate! Truth has prevailed today, injustice has been defeated,” Mr. Chouhan told reporters. “People’s anger is taking the Kamal Nath government down. Our MLAs have to take up a big responsibility now. The BJP bastion is strong.”
Confident that the BJP had the numbers, the former CM said, “It will be proven on Friday that this government is in minority. Terrorism, pressure tactics, allurements and threats, Mr. Nath and especially Digivjaya Singh have been on them. Today, they have been defeated”.
Law Minister P.C. Sharma, however, expressed confidence the government would survive. “It will be a victory for the Kamal Nath government by all means. More hands will be raised for us in the Assembly,” he asserted.
Stating that the 16 rebel Congress MLAs in Bengaluru, who have reportedly pledged loyalty to the erstwhile Congressman turned BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, “must be heard”, Mr. Sharma said the Congress would take suggestions from lawyers representing it on the further legal recourse.
The embattled government is shored up by 92 Congress MLAs in Bhopal, while four independents, two BSP members and the lone SP MLA have backed it in the past. Even as the party tried desperately to woo back the 22 MLAs, who are currently in Bengaluru, the rebel members sent in their resignation letters through BJP leaders. The Speaker has so far accepted the resignations of six members. all of whom were ministers in the government.
In the wake of these six resignations and the earlier deaths of two members, the effective strength of the 230-member House now stands at 222. And Mr. Nath, Chief Minister for 15 months now, will have to secure the trust of at least 112 members, failing which the government will fall. The BJP, which remained in power for 15 years previously, has 107 members in the Assembly.
On whether the rebels would return to vote, Mr. Chouhan said, “It is for them to decide.” Revenue Minister Jitu Patwari, on the other hand, said it was crucial for the rebels to return and participate in the vote. “If they don’t, it will be considered a murder of democracy. How will they face their voters after that? To protect democracy, they have to be here.” The Congress has contended that the MLAs had been held hostage in BJP-ruled Karnataka, where several attempts by Congressmen to reach out to them had been foiled by the State police. The rebels, in several videos on social media, have ostensibly voiced their protest against the Congress government and said that they didn’t want to be approached by the party’s leaders. However, all but one are said to be undecided on joining the BJP.
Priyavrat Singh, Energy Minister, contended that in politics, all possibilities must be considered until the last minute. “The test needs to be conducted by 5 p.m. on Friday. Even for those 16 MLAs, possibilities are open until then.”
On Monday, when the Speaker had adjourned the Assembly to March 26 in view of the coronavirus threat, the BJP had paraded 106 of its MLAs at the Raj Bhavan to show the Governor that it had the numbers. “We have already shown our numbers. Where is the doubt?” asked Narottam Mishra, Chief Whip for the BJP in the Assembly. “The Congress has been constantly running away from the test. The disease was just an excuse to put it off.”
BJP State president V.D. Sharma said the court order reflected the decision of 7.5 crore people of the State, which the Congress “had been deceiving” all the while. “This is a win for the poor. The court has heard the cry of every BJP worker, harassed by the Congress government.”
An atmosphere of distrust had prevailed among the State’s people, said Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava. “The order has set a precedent. In any case, no member is ignored in the BJP, as in the Congress,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nath posted on Twitter: “We will study the Supreme Court’s order and its every aspect, hold discussions with our legal experts, take advice, and based on that take a decision.”
