Bhopal: The coronavirus outbreak has emerged as a factor in the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh with the 22 rebel MLAs now planning to carry medical certificates from Bengaluru to avoid being placed in quarantine in Bhopal.
The move comes as the Kamal Nath government seems determined to put the rebel MLAs in isolation once they land in the MP capital – a move that will give the Congress time to persuade them.
The rebel MLAs were scheduled to depart from Bengaluru Friday to appear before the Madhya Pradesh Speaker ahead of the assembly session starting Monday.
However, the fear over the MP government’s possible action delayed the departure, said sources in the BJP, adding that the MLAs were given inputs that they would be screened at the airport upon their arrival and would then be put up in an isolated ward.
“There was utter chaos at the Bengaluru airport on Friday after the 22 Congress MLAs reached the airport but decided against boarding the flight after they were told they would be screened at the airport and could possibly be put up in an isolated ward,” said a source.
The MLAs are now likely to first get screened in Bengaluru. They will then carry a health certificate that will not require them to be screened again in Bhopal, said a senior BJP leader who didn’t wish to be named.
The MLAs are now expected to reach later in the day or Sunday, added a senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity.
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Will screen MLAs: Madhya Pradesh govt
Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Tarun Bhanot, who got the additional charge of health Friday, told ThePrint that all necessary precautions will be taken to screen the MLAs upon their arrival in Bhopal.
“Just as we will take precautions for residents of Bhopal, we will take similar measures for the MLAs too including screening. Coronavirus is a big threat,” Bhanot said.
“On one hand, the RSS has cancelled its major meeting in Bengaluru, (on the other) the BJP has held captive our MLAs there. If something happens to them who will take responsibility,” he said.
The minister added that this was not a time to indulge in politics, but to ensure that Madhya Pradesh was prepared for tackling Coronavirus. He added that the MLAs should be quarantined immediately as a number of cases have been reported from Bengaluru.
“Once these MLAs will come to Bhopal, the Madhya Pradesh government will take good care of their health,” Bhanot said.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has also demanded that the MLAs be screened for coronavirus because they’re coming from Bengaluru, which has “several cases” of the disease.
Assembly session could get deferred
It’s likely that the Madhya Pradesh assembly session may be deferred from its scheduled Monday start, said sources.
If that happens, it will give a breather to the Congress, which will get more time to try to persuade its 22 MLAs from the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp not to resign from the assembly, said the BJP leaders quoted above.
Lodged in Bengaluru under strict supervision of the BJP, if these MLAs resign, the strength of the Madhya Pradesh assembly will fall to 206. In such a situation, the Congress will be left with just 92 MLAs, and Kamal Nath government will likely lose the floor test, paving the way for the formation of a BJP government. The BJP has 107 MLAs.
According to the Congress leader quoted above, the party will not push for deferment of the session but if the health situation demands, then the Speaker will take a call.
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