BHOPAL: Six Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists and rebel Congress MLAs were removed as cabinet ministers by Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon on Friday, just a few hours after Chief Minister Kamal Nath met him, accusing opposition BJP of indulging in horse-trading and holding 22 Congress MLAs in “captivity” to destabilise his government.
On March 10, the CM had written to the Governor to sack the six MLAs — Tulsi Silawat (health minister), Imarti Devi (women and child development minister), Pradumn Singh Tomar (food and civil supplies), Govind Singh Rajput (transport and revenue), Prabhuram Chaudhary (school education) and Mahendra Singh Sisodiya (labour) — as cabinet ministers.
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The six are among the 22 Congress MLAs, who had sent their resignation as legislators to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker and the Governor on March 10, pushing the 15-month old Kamal Nath government into deep crisis. With the Governor stripping the six Scindia loyalists of their portfolios, the departments they were in charge of were allotted to other cabinet members.
Earlier, the CM met the governor and handed over a three-page letter, accusing the BJP of being involved in horse-trading and holding the Congress MLAs in captivity. In the letter, the CM said he was ready to take a floor test during the Budget Session of the Assembly, starting March 16.
“The very edifice of democracy is in danger. The situation merits a proper investigation so that the persons responsible for derailing the democratic institutional process are exposed and punished,” the CM wrote.
‘Free the legislators before floor test’
Talking to mediapersons, CM Kamal Nath said, “For the floor test and the budget, the 22 MLAs need to be set free. If the MLAs aren’t being held captive, why aren’t they being allowed to speak to the media?”