‘Heavens are not going to fall’, says Congress as Supreme Court hears plea on Madhya Pradesh floor test
The BJP claims that Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is in minority after the resignation of 22 MLAs and is seeking floor test. The Congress, meanwhile, says that its MLAs are held captive.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Wednesday sought more time from the Supreme Court in the floor test matter, and demanded a probe in the resignation matter of its lawmakers.
“Heavens are not going to fall that Congress government must go immediately and Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government must be saddled on the people,” party’s lawyer Dushyant Dave told the bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta.
“The MLAs must go back to the electorate and win the election again,” said Dave adding that the lawmakers are expected to serve their constituencies and not get up one day and resign.
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“Justice Hemant Gupta agreed with the statement and said, “That’s what they are doing. They are giving up on their membership and may go back again to voters.”
The Madhya Pradesh Congress told the apex court that a probe is needed on the resignation letters of its rebel MLAs submitted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to the Speaker of the state Assembly.
The party claimed that resignations of its rebel MLAs in Madhya Pradesh were extracted by force and coercion and they did not act as per their free will.
It also said the Governor has no business to send messages at night asking the Chief Minister or Speaker to hold floor test.
“The Speaker is the ultimate master and the Madhya Pradesh Governor is overriding him,” said Dave, the party’s lawyer.
The BJP has claimed that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, led by Kamal Nath, is in minority after the resignation of 22 MLAs and have demanded a floor test in the Assembly. But Speaker NP Prajapati adjourned the House for 10 days on Monday, prompting the BJP to move Supreme Court. The court sought responses from Chief Minister Kamal Nath and the Speaker.
The Congress also filed a petition in the top court the next day saying that the floor test cannot take place in Madhya Pradesh because 16 of its lawmakers have been held captive in Bengaluru.
