BHOPAL: In a latest, BJP has moved Supreme Court over demand of a floor test in Madhya Pradesh Assembly within 48 hours after the speaker adjourned its sessions till March 26.
The session was adjourned both in view of rising cases of coronavirus and demands of a floor test for the incumbent Kamal Nath-led congress government to prove majority after 22 MLAs of the party resigned.
Governor Lalji Tandon on March 14, had directed holding a floor test.
He addressed the Assembly briefly after which BJP MLAs raised the demand for a floor test, triggering an uproar.
In his address, Governor Lalji Tandon appealed to Members: "All must follow the rules under the Constitution so that dignity of Madhya Pradesh remains protected."
Just after the Governor left the house after delivering the address, BJP members started pressing for the trust vote, but ruling Congress members and parliamentary affairs minister Dr Govind Singh moved a proposal to adjourn the House over coronavirus, he also mentioned the centre's advisory.
Congress leaders also argued that in order to conduct the test, all their MLAs needed to be present in the house.
Meanwhile, prior to the start of the Vidhan Sabha, CM Kamal Nath also wrote a six-page letter to the Governor, in which he mentioned that the Governor had gone out of the purview of the powers vested to him (in light of the Supreme Court constitutional bench observations of the past) by asking the government to go for trust vote on March 16.
"It seems that the info provided by BJP leaders has served the basis of your March 14 letter to me. The letter doesn't mention anything about our MLAs held captive," the CM wrote in the letter.
The Speaker, Narmada Prasad Prajapati, then adjourned the House till March 26 (after the Governor's address).
"The state government is running away from facing the floor test but it cannot be saved from collapsing as a good number of MLAs are against it. Government has been defeated morally and the Chief Minister should resign on moral ground," Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said.
MP Minister PC Sharma had said that the Congress government will abide by the Speaker's decision and added that the party was not afraid of facing the floor test.
"There is no suspense. We will abide by the decision taken by the Speaker. We are not afraid of the floor test and are ready for it. Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said that we are ready for the floor test," Sharma told ANI here.
(With inputs from agencies and Online Desk)