As the hearing went on in the top court in relation to the Madhya Pradesh political turmoil, the party has asked the court to hold by-elections for the vacant seats first and then, a floor test can be held.
Bengaluru: Firmly in the throes of a collapse, the Madhya Pradesh Congress asked the top court to allow the Congress government to continue till the by-polls for the vacant seats are held.
"Heavens are not going to fall if Congress government is allowed to continue till by-polls and the Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government must not be saddled on the people," said senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for the Congress.
"Let them face re-elections and then hold trust vote...You (BJP) have engineered it. My petition raises the frontal attack that you have launched a conspiracy," he added, as reported by India Today.
Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Shivaraj Singh Chouhan had this to say, "It is lust of power because of which all these lofty arguments are being made.”
He added, "It is unheard of that a person who had lost majority says that he wants to continue for six months and there should be re-election before the trust vote.”
The lawyer for the MP Congress threw his weight behind the Speaker.
He said, "The Speaker is the ultimate master and the Madhya Pradesh Governor is overriding him.
Earlier, newly crowned KPCC president DK Shivakumar said in Bengaluru, “Congressmen will storm the Bengaluru hotel where the rebel party MLAs are staying if the BJP leaders who are there don't leave.”
There was hectic political development as senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was placed under preventive arrest in Bengaluru today after he tried to visit a hotel where several rebel party lawmakers are staying.
He sat on a dharna near the Ramada hotel when the police denied him permission to visit. He was later held.
Currently, 22 MLAs of the Congress party from Madhya Pradesh have resigned, out of which, 6 have been accepted by the Speaker.
The Congress will face an imminent defeat if floor test were to be held today.
Last Updated Mar 18, 2020, 5:22 PM IST