Mr Scindia's exit from the party was followed by resignation of 21 Congress MLAs.(File)
Bhopal/ New Delhi:
A day after former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit from the Congress plunged Madhya Pradesh government into crisis, ten MLAs and two ministers – loyal to the 49-year-old four-time parliamentarian – who are in Bengaluru have expressed doubt about joining the BJP, sources have told NDTV.
"We came for maharaj (Jyotiraditya Scindia)… not to join the BJP," the MLAs have reportedly said. The BJP is closely monitoring reports of these leaders expressing reservation in joining the party, according to sources.
Trouble deepened for 15-month-old Kamal Nath government on Monday when 19 Congress MLAs, including six ministers, who are Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalists, were flown by a chartered plane to Bengaluru in BJP-ruled Karnataka.
Mr Scindia ended his 18-year-old long association with the Congress the next day after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. His exit from the party was followed by resignation of 21 Congress MLAs.
"I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," he said in his resignation letter sent to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, hinting at dissatisfaction with his role and responsibility in the party.
Minutes later, the Congress tweeted that Mr Scindia has been expelled from the party for "anti-party activities".
He is likely to join the BJP – co-founded by his grandmother Vijay Raje Scindia – today in Delhi. His crossover is likely to be rewarded with a Rajya Sabha nomination and eventually, a spot in the central cabinet.
Sources have also spoken of differences within the state wing of the BJP between supporters of BJP MLA Narottam Mishra and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, both of whom had been linked to attempts to unsettle the Kamal Nath administration. According to sources, slogans in support of Mr Mishra were chanted on Tuesday and questions were raised over the role of Mr Chouhan in the chaos that has surrounded the Congress government.
Congress's troubleshooter in Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, told NDTV on Tuesday that he is in touch with the rebel MLAs from Madhya Pradesh who are in Bengaluru, and that most of them will return to the party. "Nineteen MLAs are under 'police custody' in Karnataka," he told NDTV.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said he is confident his government will complete its term. "There is nothing to worry about. We will prove our majority," he said late on Tuesday night.
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