Madhya Pradesh Government Crisis: Assembly Adjourned Till March 26​; No Floor Test Today

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh assembly was adjourned today till March 26, reportedly in view of the coronavirus scare. The adjournment came soon after Governor Lalji Tandon walked out of the state assembly amid Congress slogans of "respect the house" after he said in his opening address at the session today to "follow the Constitution".  Tandon had asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to prove his government’s majority after the resignation of 22 MLAs from the party. However, now the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has won a 10-day reprieve today. He finished his customary address to the Legislative Assembly on the first day of the Budget session within a minute and left the House. Before leaving the House, the governor urged the legislators to follow the Constitutional traditions, maintain the dignity of democracy and act peacefully in the current situation prevailing in the state. Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath asked Governor to postpone the floor test in the Assembly saying that the atmosphere is not "conducive" for it. He alleged that several Congress MLAs have been held hostage and are being forced to give statements by BJP. In a letter to Tandon, Nath said, "When I met you (Tandon) on Mar 14, I apprised you of the fact that some of my MLAs are being held hostage by the BJP under the supervision of Karnataka police and being forced to gives statements. To carry out a floor test in this atmosphere is unconstitutional." Also Watch | MP political crisis: BJP MLAs leave hotel Amer Greens Asking for a postponement of the floor test, Nath said, "The atmosphere isn't conducive right now. The vote should only be held when all MLAs are free and are not under any pressure." However, the Assembly session began after the recitation of Vande Mataram. MLAs also raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Prominent members, including CM Kamal Nath, BJP vice president, and MLA Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava and others were there in the house today. The state plunged into a political crisis after Jyotiraditya Scindia, a prominent face of the Congress, resigned from the party last week to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Scindia’s decision to leave Congress was followed by the resignation of 22 party MLAs loyal to him. But Speaker NP Prajapati selectively accepted the resignations, hinting at intrigues in store.