After Two of Its MLAs Voted for Congress in MP Assembly, BJP Goes into Damage Control Mode

Bhopal: Following a setback in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the opposition BJP has switched to damage control mode, especially looking to give special care to those MLAs suspected to be in touch with the Congress.

While a fuming BJP high command had earlier summoned state unit chief Rakesh Singh, the central leadership on Friday asked party chief whip Narottam Mishra to come to New Delhi and furnish a reply.

The high command is upset with the fact that when the state was facing a political tug of war, why had Mishra failed to issue a whip to the party members for the entire session. The party was caught on the wrong foot when the Kamal Nath-led government suddenly forced a vote division on the penal code bill in the House.

Taking advantage of no whip issued by the BJP, two of its MLAs — Narayan Tripathi and Sharad Kol — had voted in favour of the Congress government. Since no whip had been issued, BJP could not disqualify the rebel lawmakers.

After a meeting with local RSS office-bearers, it was decided that Singh and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would speak to the MLAs who could follow Kol and Tripathi. The two leaders will also speak to the rebel MLAs.

The BJP is yet to take an official call on the fate of the two rebels, but sources claim that the party, given the critical number game in the Assembly, is planning to let them off the hook for now.

The rebels had claimed that the BJP had failed to give them their due respect.

The Congress is also trying its best to aggravate the situation for the BJP as several of its leaders have claimed that many MLAs from the saffron party, who have a history of association with the Congress, are in touch with the latter and could make a move anytime.

Prominent among these names are Katni MLA Sanjay Pathak and Dinesh Rai Munmun. The Congress is also reportedly keeping an eye on Mudwara MLA Sandip Jaiswal and Chandla MLA Rajesh Prajapati.

Pathak, who met Nath on Thursday, later said the meeting was related to work in his constituency. Affirming his loyalty to the BJP, Pathak claimed that he has “good relations” with senior leaders in every party.