BJP to again fly MLAs to Gurugram to avoid 'reverse poaching'

New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Amid the high voltage political drama in Madhya Pradesh over the crucial floor test in the state Assembly, the BJP is again set to fly all its legislators to Haryana's Gurugram to avoid 'reverse poaching'.

A senior BJP leader said that the party is flying all its 106 MLAs to Delhi and then they will be kept at a hotel in Gurugram. He said the legislators will be flown to Delhi by a chartered plane from Bhopal in the evening.

He said after spending the night in Gurugram, the legislators will be again flown back to Bhopal on Tuesday morning in view of the floor test. Earlier, the BJP had housed its MLAs at the same hotel for the last five days since the political crisis in the state erupted.

The move by the BJP comes in the wake of Governor Lalji Tandon asking the Kamal Nath-led Congress government for a floor test in the 230-member Assembly on Tuesday. Tandon's fresh directive came two days after he first asked Nath to face a floor test on Monday, after commencement of Budget session of the Assembly.

However, the Governor's directive went in vain as the House was adjourned till March 26 after the state government said that the legislature sessions in several other states were adjourned due to the coronavirus scare.

Earlier in the day, shortly before the Governor was to start for the Assembly at 10.50 a.m., he received a letter from the Chief Minister calling his letter ordering a trust vote unconstitutional. There was speculation that the Governor could stay away from the proceedings. He sought advice from Constitutional experts and agreed to proceed. He delayed his departure for nine minutes to formally inaugurate the session at 11.10 a.m. and returned to Raj Bhavan in 11 minutes without reading the full address.

Once the Speaker adjourned the House without conducting the floor test 106 MLAs including Shivraj Singh Chouhan reached the Raj Bhavan and were paraded in front of the Governor. They complained about his directive not being followed.

The 16-month-old Kamal Nath government in the state is facing a crisis following the resignation by 22 Congress MLAs owing allegiance to Jyotiraditya Scindia. The Speaker had earlier accepted the resignation of six state ministers.

Gwalior royal Scindia quit the Congress and joined the BJP on March 10. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition filed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others for an urgent floor test after Madhya Pradesh Speaker N.P. Prajapati adjourned the House till March 26, the day of the voting for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Most of the 22 MLAs who have resigned from the Assembly represent seats in and around the Gwalior-Chambal region and swear allegiance to Scindia. They include Rajvardhan Singh, Hardeep Dang, Bisahulal Singh, Aidal Singh Kansana, Ranveer Jatav, Kamlesh Jatav, Raghuraj Kansana, Munnalal Goyal, O.P.S. Bhadoriya, Giriraj Dandotiya, Brijendra Singh Yadav, Suresh Dhakad, Jajpal Singh 'Jajji', Manoj Chaudhary, Jasmant Jatav, Raksha Santram Sarauniya, Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, Tulsiram Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Imarti Devi, Prabhuram Chaudhary and Pradyumna Singh Tomar. Six of them have been sacked from the party.