Congress not able to manage its MLAs in MP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Bhopal: The Congress levelling allegations against the BJP as it is unable to manage its own MLAs, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.

State minister Jitu Patwari on Wednesday alleged that BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh have taken eight MLAs to a hotel in Haryana as part of a conspiracy to topple the Kamal Nath government.

Earlier, Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh also claimed a senior leader of the BJP has taken a Bahujan Samaj Party legislator to Delhi in a chartered flight, alleging that "poaching" attempts were being made by the saffron party on Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh.

However, the BJP has dismissed the charges.

"We have been saying this from the beginning that we are not involved in any such (poaching) activity, but if the Congress government falls on its own, then they are responsible for it," Chouhan told reporters here before leaving for Agar Malwa town where a bypoll is due soon.

"The Congress MLAs are facing a lot of



difficulties.

It is a matter of their own house, but they are levelling allegations against us. The entire state is facing problems, especially farmers," he said.

On Digvijaya Singh's charge that Chouhan was in Delhi for "poaching" MLAs, the senior BJP leader said, "I keep going to Delhi very often as I am the national vice president of the party. Whenever the party calls me, I go there. What Diggi (Digvijaya Singh) has to do with it? His main job is to level allegations only."

There are many groups in the Congress and they have lot of "infighting", but they level allegations against the BJP, he said. "What does it mean?" he asked.

In the 230-member Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs, followed by the BJP- 107. The simple majority mark is 116.

The Congress-led state government has the support of four Independent MLAs, two Bahujan Samaj Party legislators and one of the Samajwadi Party.

Two seats are currently vacant following the demise of a Congress and a BJP legislator.