BJP bid to corner Kamal Nath fizzles out

By Chandrakant Naidu

Bhopal, May 21 (IANS) The BJPs attempts to embarrass the Congress with a floor test in Madhya Pradesh have all but fizzled out with the partys central leadership not supporting the local leaders on the issue.

On Monday, the leader of the Opposition, Gopal Bhargav had written a letter to Governor Anandiben Patel requesting her to convene a special session of the state assembly. Bhargava, a veteran of the House since 1984, obviously acted in haste by shooting off a letter to the Governor.

The procedure for convening the sessions, special or ordinary, is clear. The government seeks the governor's permission to convene the session by a communication sent through the Vidhan Sabha secretariat.

Insiders say Bhargav has been admonished by the party's central leadership for going to the press over the issue. Action followed former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's report to the central leaders. Chouhan had also spoken to some television channels over the issue.

"We want to discuss issues of critical importance in the special session and we would also see whether this government can sustain itself through the division of votes on financial matters," Bhargav had told newsmen on Monday.

Charges and counter charges flew thick and fast over the BJ''s attempt to pull down the Kamal Nath government.

On Tuesday Kamal Nath claimed that the BJP was trying to lure the ruling party legislators. Addressing the media, he said all MLAs were in touch with him and that he had full faith in them. We have already faced the floor test and are ready for it again. Exit polls have become a source of entertainment now. The BJP is trying to sustain the party member'' morale with such tactics, he said.

It was not just the leader of the Opposition who displayed undue haste. The party's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had also claimed that the government would not last once Modi returned to power.

State cabinet minister Pradyumn Singh Tomar had on Tuesday alleged that the BJP was luring Congress MLAs by offering up to Rs 50 crore. The minister, however, said none of the MLAs fell for the trap.

Singh said BJP was worried many former senior leaders might be brought to book in the infamous Vyapam scam and the other frauds and therefore desperate to bring down the Congress government.

Public Relations Minister P.C. Sharma went a step further to claim more than 20 BJP MLAs were in touch with the Congress and could switch over if BJP fails to return to power at the Centre.

State BJP chief Rakesh Singh had also claimed on Monday that the Congress ministry would come down on its own due to internal discord.

Congress won 114 of the state's 230 seats in the state assembly nearly six months ago where the majority mark is 116. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party then offered unconditional support to the government. The BSP has two seats in the House and the SP one. The BJP has 109 seats. Four Independents are also backing the government. After the Chhindwara MLA Deepak Saksena resigned to vacate the seat for Kamal Nath the Cong'ess's strength is 113.