BENGALURU: When Jyothiraditya Scindia went knocking on BJP’s doors to pull off a coup against the Kamal Nath government, saffron party Central leaders turned to experts of resort politics and logistics — BJP leaders from Karnataka.
Not one, but three state leaders reportedly competed to take the responsibility of the MLAs, but ultimately the mantle fell on MLA and party general secretary Arvind Limbavali.
On the day Scindia resigned from the Congress, BJP sources told The New Indian Express that the plan to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh was devised at least 20 days before March 3, the day four MLAs from MP — Bisahulal Singh, Raghuraj Kansana and Hardeep Dang of Congress and Independent MLA Surendra Singh ‘Shera Bhaiya’ — landed in Bengaluru.
While Limbavali was apparently Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s first choice, names of Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan and Tourism Minister C T Ravi, too cropped up.
Limbavali, who is the Mahadevapura MLA, was summoned to New Delhi in the second week of February to apprise him of the plan.
When he was asked to take the help of Ravi and Narayan, he is said to have turned it down.
“Limbavali insisted that he will work alone. Limbavali told Shah that ‘previous experience’ made him hesitant as others took credit for his work and he rather worked alone,” a source close to the MLA said.
When two MLAs under his watch returned to Bhopal, the ‘operation’ was almost deemed untenable, but Limbavali’s ability to convince the rebels gave the BJP leadership the confidence to shift more MLAs to Bengaluru.
On March 9, 10 more MLAs landed in the city. On Tuesday, 19 MLAs including six ministers lodged in Bengaluru resigned from their posts, officially signing a death warrant for the Kamal Nath government.
For the last one week, Limbavali, who was instrumental in arranging the logistics and accommodation for Congress and JDS MLAs during the political crisis in Karnataka last year, has been playing the perfect host.
Sources close to him said that he along with his brother-in-law and CV Raman Nagar MLA S Raghu, under whose constituency HAL Airport falls, escorted Madhya Pradesh MLAs to resorts and hotels owned by their friend and confidant — a top executive of a ‘prestigious’ construction and hospitality firm.
The plan is now to let MP MLAs go back to Bhopal only around March 26, when the Rajya Sabha elections are held.