Mahanaryaman Scindia said his family is not power hungry (File)

Jyotiraditya Scindia's son Mahanaryaman Scindia, 24, has praised his father for resigning from the Congress, and said he took a "stand for himself". Responding to criticism against Mr Scindia over the move, he said his family is not "power hungry".

"I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies," he tweeted.

I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies. — M. Scindia (@AScindia) March 10, 2020

Mr Scindia had reportedly been unhappy with the Congress leadership for quite some time. Once close to the Gandhi family, he had been passed over for chief ministership in 2018 after he showed support of only 23 MLAs, despite making a sizeable contribution to the Congress's unexpected Assembly polls win. He was also ignored for the post of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief, which is being held by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

On Monday, 17 Madhya Pradesh MLAs loyal to Mr Scindia took a chartered plane to Bengaluru. On Tuesday, Mr Scindia announced his resignation on Twitter, minutes after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore with this party," he said in his resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

21 Congress MLAs have resigned from the Madhya Pradesh assembly. Should these resignations be accepted, the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government will be reduced to a minority and likely be toppled.

The sharpest attack against Mr Scindia came from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The senior Congress leader said Mr Scindia had betrayed the "trust of the people and the ideology" and was a leader with "self-indulgent political ambitions".

According to sources, Mr Scindia is expected to get a central post and a Rajya Sabha seat from the BJP.