BHOPAL: Upset over Madhya Pradesh Assembly being adjourned till March 26 without holding the floor test/trust vote by Chief Minister Kamal Nath on the first day of the Budget Session, the BJP MLAs, led by former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava, paraded themselves before Governor Lalji Tandon at the Raj Bhawan on Monday.
However, 106 of the 107 BJP MLAs were present before the Governor, as the party’s Naihar lesgislator Narayan Tripathi, who attended the Assembly session in the morning, reportedly left for the CM’s house with Congress MLA Arif Masood.
Not only was Tripathi conspicuous by his absence, but he also struck a rebellious tone, supporting the Congress allegation that its MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia had been held captive in Bengaluru.
Asked which side would he sway in the event of a trust vote or a no confidence vote by the BJP, Tripathi said, “It will be clear when the time comes.”Tripathi, along with another BJP MLA Sharad Kol, who were formerly with the grand old party, voted along with Congress MLAs and members in the ruling alliance over an amendment Bill in the House in July 2019, catching the BJP members by surprise.
A few weeks ago, Tripathi went against the BJP’s official party line by speaking publicly against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Senior BJP MLA Arvind Singh Bhadoriya, who was present at the Raj Bhawan with the other 105 BJP MLAs, played down the matter, saying Tripathi has told us that he is very much with the BJP.
According to informed sources in the Congress, not only Tripathi, but three to four other BJP MLAs, who were present at the Raj Bhawan on Monday, too could side with the Congress when the time comes.Talking to reporters outside the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, Chouhan said, “Even coronavirus will not save the Kamal Nath government.”