Published 21:30 IST, August 22nd 2020
Congress stages massive 'anti-Scindia' protest in Gwalior as BJP MP attends party event
As BJP Rajya Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed a membership ceremony in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, Congress party staged an anti-Scindia protest on Saturday.
As BJP Rajya Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed a membership ceremony in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, Congress party staged an anti-Scindia protest on Saturday. Visuals shared by MP Congress show a crowd of thousands violating lockdown rules raising flags, slogans amid heavy police presence in Gwalior's Chambal. While some of the workers were wearing face masks, social distancing was not followed and protestors tried to scale the barricades. Scindia who belongs to the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior was part of the Congress from 2001-2020.
Congress stages anti-Scindia protests
Scindia: 'Kamal Nath ahead of Modiji in one aspect'
Earlier in the day, Scindia claimed that ex-CM Kamal Nath was ahead of PM Modi in one aspect - lockdown. He said that while the Prime Minister put the country under lockdown to save lives, Kamal Nath put the Madhya Pradesh government office (Vallabh Bhavan) under lockdown for 15 months. Critiquing Kamal Nath, Scindia claimed that Congress has always done fraudulent politics by cheating the people, doing corruption and illegal mining work. Scindia has frequently critiqued Nath since leaving the Congress party - leading to the downfall of its state government.
25 Congress MLAs quit, join BJP
Earlier in July, several Congress MLAs quit the party and joined the ruling BJP after Scindia's rebellion paid off- with 14 rebel MLAs being given cabinet portfolios. After the initial 22 MLAs joining in March - Narayan Patel, Sumitra Devi Kasdekar and Pradyumn Singh Lodhi from the Congress resigned from their posts and joined BJP. As 22 MLAs including 6 cabinet ministers - loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia - quit the party, reducing the Congress to a minority government with 92 MLAs, 27 MLAs fell vacant. EC will hold elections to 24 seats by Septemeber 2020.
On July 2, 12 of the 22 Congress rebels and Scindia loyalists managed to secure ministerial berths in the cabinet expansion. Apart from these 12, two rebel MLAs -Tulsi Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput had already been sworn in shortly after CM Shivraj Chouhan took oath, while Scindia himself has been elected to the Rajya Sabha. In the upcoming bypolls, all 14 ministers shall be in the poll fray. To remain in power with a majority on its own, BJP requires to win 9 seats in the upcoming bypolls. However, BJP faces no danger in MP even if it wins only three seats as they have the support of two BSP, one SP, and three Independent legislators.
Updated 21:30 IST, August 22nd 2020