MP MLAs try to toe Sonia line, stopped

IGNORING A party directive, Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh on Saturday offered to resign while party MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union ministers Suresh Pachauri and Kantilal Bhuria expressed solidarity with her.

IGNORING A party directive, Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh on Saturday offered to resign while party MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union ministers Suresh Pachauri and Kantilal Bhuria expressed solidarity with her.

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"Expressing full faith and dedication in your leadership, we want to resign from the membership of Vidhan Sabha", the MLAs, who met Sonia, said in their letter.

The letter was signed by 38 MLAs. One of them, Ajay Singh, said Gandhi advised them not to take any hasty decision and refused to accept their offer.

However, Pachauri said the question of his and another union minister Bhuria's resigning or offering to resign did not come up at the meeting which was mainly aimed to apprise her of the devastation caused in parts of the state due to recent hailstorm.

Seeking to turn the tables on the BJP, the state Congress petitioned President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for disqualification of cm Shivraj Singh Chouhan and several ministers for holding offices of profit.