BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh alleges that Congress tried to poach him, offered money to jump ship

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from the state has accused Congress of offering him money to switch loyalty.

BJP MLA Sitaram Adivasi, representing Vijaypur assembly constituency has accused the state Congress of trying to lure him in their party. He, however, claimed to have denied the proposal. Levying the accusations Adivasi had said on Wednesday, "They said they would give me whatever I want. I told them I am a tribal & poor but I won't be sold. I will stay with BJP only".

The news comes after two BJP lawmakers had voted in favour of a bill by Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh assembly on July 24, Later on July 25, 'computer baba' Namdas Tyagi had claimed that four BJP MLAs were in contact with him and want to join the state government.

After two BJP MLAs this week voted in favour of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, several Congress MLAs are planning to register a protest against their entry into the ruling party.

Why Congress MLAs oppose BJP MLAs' entry

On Wednesday, BJP MLAs Sharad Kol (Beohari) and Narayan Tripathi (Maihar) backed the seven-month- old Congress-led government during voting on a bill in the MP Assembly. Congress leaders termed Tripathi a "habitual turncoat". "This is for the eighth time Narayan Tripathi has changed sides. He is exposed now. He had left the Congress only two days ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2014," said Congress leader Shrikant Chaturvedi. Chaturvedi was defeated by Tripathi in the November 2018 Assembly elections. "Tripathi has been a leader of different parties like Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and BJP, besides Congress, which he had termed as his mother organisation when joining last time," he said.

Chaturvedi held a press conference in Maihar in Satna district along with a dozen party leaders and supporters, and said the Congress should take local leaders into confidence before allowing Tripathi into the fold. "We respect our top leaders but we should be consulted before any decision about Tripathi," he said. Other Congress leaders, including Dharmesh Ghai and Shrinivas Urmalia, said Tripathi should be told to resign from the BJP and also as MLA before formally joining the Congress. They said they will convey their feelings to Nath in this regard.

Meanwhile, MP Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said any decision about the support of MLAs is the prerogative of Chief Minister Kamal Nath."As leader of the House, it is the CM's prerogative to take any decision in this regard. He took a suitable decision to strengthen the party," he said, adding it was an internal matter of the Congress.

Tripathi had quit the Congress in April 2014 to join the BJP. He was first elected as a Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA from Maihar in 2003, going on to fight on a Congress ticket in 2013.

M.P assembly in numbers

In the 230-member Assembly, the ruling Congress, with 114 MLAs, has the support of another seven legislators, comprising four Independent legislators, two MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one from the Samajwadi Party. The BJP had won 109 Assembly seats, but one of its MLAs subsequently resigned after getting elected to the Lok Sabha.

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(From agency inputs)