Madhya Pradesh Govt Crisis: All Cabinet Ministers Present At Kamal Nath’s Meet Tender Resignation

15 Congress MLAs including 6 ministers have reached Bengaluru on Monday creating a massive escalation of the recent political instability in the Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government. Two MLAs have already been camping in the state for last few days. Accoding to the sources, the MLAs, whose whereabouts are still unknown, will be soon shifted to a resort outside Bengaluru. They further added that the MLAs are all backers of former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia. The development came hours after Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath met Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. The state of Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a political slugfest over the last few weeks, giving a scare to the Congress state government. News agency IANS quoted sources as saying the two leaders discussed the cabinet expansion as well as the coming Rajya Sabha elections slated for later this month. After the meeting, Kamal Nath said, "I have discussed many issues with her and will follow the instructions given by the Congress president."

Earlier on Saturday, Surendra Singh Shera, one of the four missing MLAs supporting the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh who went 'missing', returned and stated that he continues to be on the Congress' side. The independent MLA from Burhanpur, who returned by an afternoon flight from Delhi, also denied that he had been abducted.

The Congress had alleged that the opposition BJP was trying to poach its MLAs to bring down the state government. Three Congress MLAs—Hardeep Singh Dang, Bisahulal Singh and Raghuraj Kansana—are reportedly still untraceable.

Also Read | Allahabad High Court Orders UP Govt To Remove 'Name And Shame' Posters Featuring Anti-CAA Protesters

Minister for Public Relations P C Sharma greeted Shera at Raja Bhoj Airport on his arrival, from where he was taken to the residence of Chief Minister Nath. Talking to reporters, Shera denied that he had been abducted by anyone. “I was not abducted. Nobody can abduct a lion. But efforts were made to delay my flight from Bengaluru...I was misbehaved with and stopped on the way to airport in Bengaluru. Therefore I missed my flight,” he claimed without elaborating further.

The Congress holds a thin majority in the 230-member Assembly with its own 114 MLAs and support of two BSP, one SP and four independents. The BJP has 107 legislators while two seats are vacant.

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS: