BJP wants MP CM Kamal Nath to prove majority, he says he is ready

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Updated: May 20, 2019 23:31 IST

The BJP has asked Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel for a special session of the state assembly, saying the Kamal Nath-led Congress government doesn’t have a majority.

The move comes a day after Lok Sabha exit polls predicted that the Congress was unlikely to make gains in the Hindi heartland, failing to capitalise on its Assembly poll wins in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Gopal Bhargava said, “We want discussion on important issues like farm loan waiver and (to) test the government strength,” according to PTI.

“The exit polls have shown that the Congress has lost its mandate and in any case the government is in minority. It was a election to elect Narendra Modi as the prime minister, but it was also a referendum on the work done by the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in the last six months,” Bhargava added.

“You can yourself analyse the current situation. They have the support of one SP MLA, one MLA of BSP and four Independent MLAs. There is bickering within the party,” he said, according to ANI.

Read: Exit polls show majority for NDA. Here’s a look at numbers

Chief minister Kamal Nath brushed aside the BJP’s demand saying he has no problem with a floor test.

“They (BJP) have been trying this since day 1,have proved majority at least 4 times in last 5 months.They want to do it again, we have no problem.They’ll try their best to disturb present government to save themselves from getting exposed. Government is ready for floor test,” ANI quoted Nath as saying..

Congress general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Deepak Babariya accused the BJP ot trying to destabilise the government. “The BJP is trying to destabilise the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh through corrupt practices. They are trying to negate the mandate of people of Madhya Pradesh given in favour of the Congress in assembly elections held a few months ago and people will not forgive them for this,” he told PTI.

Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said, “There is no precedence that discussion should be held on Lok Sabha results in the state Assembly. There is no crisis in the state that needs urgent discussion. Also during the election of the speaker we have proved our majority, so the government is not in a minority.”

In December 2018, the Congress posted its best electoral performance since the 2014 general elections. It snatched Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the BJP. While the party swept Chhattisgarh, it just made the majority mark in Rajasthan and fell short by a whisker in Madhya Pradesh.

Also read | Undaunted by exit polls, Chandrababu Naidu sets up meeting with Mamata Banerjee.

The Kamal Nath-led government has 114 members in the 230-member assembly and is supported by four Independents, two BSP MLAs and one Samajwadi Party MLA. The BJP is not far behind with 109 MLAs.

Recently BSP’s Mayawati had threatened to withdraw support to the Congress government in the state after her candidate from Guna Lok Sabha seat joined the Congress and withdrew from the race.

“The Congress will have to pay a heavy price for this when time comes. Due to similar acts, we brought down the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government,” she had warned.

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