A day after accusing BJP leaders of luring Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh to cross over, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday alleged the BJP had “begun the process” of taking Congress, BSP and SP MLAs, who support the Congress government in the State, to New Delhi.
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections for three seats from the State later this month, two sure in both BJP’s and Congress’s kitty each, Mr. Singh asked on Twitter, “Didn’t former BJP Minister Bhupendra Singh yesterday take BSP MLA Rambai in a charter flight from Bhopal to New Delhi? Shivraj ji, do you want to say something?”
Mr. Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, however, wrote that the party exuded “full confidence” in Rambai Parihar, as she was an “admirer” of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and supported him.
Given the seat arithmetic in the Vidhan Sabha, with Congress having 114 members and BJP 106, the Congress needs the continuing crucial support of one Samajwadi Party (SP), two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and four independent MLAs to secure the third Rajya Sabha seat.
‘BJP scared’
Attesting to Mr. Singh’s claim, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said the BJP was scared lest its “corruption” of 15 years in the State be uncovered.
“I completely agree with what Digvijaya Singh has said,” he told reporters in Bhopal. “Today the BJP is scared that in the coming days all their corruption of 15 years will be uncovered. I want to ask them where this money came from.”
Claiming that MLAs had approached him complaining the BJP was offering them a certain amount, he said that he told them, “Phokat ka paisa he le lena (It’s free money, so take it).”
On being asked if the government was stable amid the charge of horse-trading levelled by the Congress against the BJP, “There is nothing to worry about.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Mr. Singh’s claims, in Gwalior told reporters, “I don’t have information about these facts. But the government is stable.”
He further said the Congress government was formed by people, and is standing on their support. “It has been committed to people, and will continue to be so,” he added.
BJP rubbishes Singh's charge
Meanwhile, BJP State media chief Lokendra Parashar said Mr. Singh was making such statements as he enjoyed being in the news. “That’s why he makes such frivolous remarks, both in politics and society. No one takes him seriously in any case,” he said.
BJP vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan is yet to respond to the charge.
In December last, BSP president Mayawati suspended membership of Ms. Parihar for breaking party discipline by not toeing the party line on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and supporting it publicly.
And Mr. Singh, on Monday alleged Mr. Chouhan and former BJP Minister Narottam Mishra, in an attempt to destabilise the Kamal Nath government, offered at least eight-ten Congress MLAs ₹25-35 crore each.
Furthermore, the BJP got another stunner on Monday, when its MLA Sharad Kol claimed the party did not give adequate representation to backward communities in its leadership, and that the party at the Centre and in the State ceded importance to only “one particular community”. He went on to praise the Congress government for slashing electricity bills, which, he claimed, brought happiness to the poor.