Videos circulating on social media show several rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh speaking out in support of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his decision to jump ship to the BJP. They all appear to be speaking from the same location in Bengaluru.
This comes after senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh claimed that 13 out of 22 rebel MLAs, who left following Scindia’s cue, have assured him that they are not leaving Congress.
Scindia joined the BJP on Wednesday, 11 March, after quitting the Congress, and was promptly awarded a Rajya Sabha nomination. His shift has pushed the Kamal Nath-led government in MP to the brink of collapse.
"If Maharaj (Mr Scindia) asks me or if I feel that I need to jump into a well, I will do even that for Maharaj," former Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi says in one such clip.
Mahendra Singh Sisodia, says, "Jyotiraditya Scindia has not betrayed anybody. Rather the Congress and Kamal Nathji have betrayed him... We will go where Jyotiraditya Scindia goes. We are united."
Similarly, MLAs Jagpal Singh Jajji, Manoj Choudhary, Tulsi Silawat, Munnalal Goyal and Giriraj Dandotiya respectively assert that they all resigned willingly and are united behind Scindia.
The BJP in Madhya Pradesh will now seek a floor test on Monday, 16 March, a senior BJP leader said on Thursday, reported PTI.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati issued notices to 22 Congress MLAs who have resigned, asking them to appear before him by Friday and clarify whether they have quit voluntarily or under pressure.
Scindia, resigning from the Congress, said it was now time for him “to move on." He was promptly expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi in a knee-jerk, largely symbolic, reaction.
Catch all the latest updates on the MP political crisis here.
(With inputs from PTI)
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