One of the four “missing” MLAs in Madhya Pradesh returned to the state on Saturday and said he continued to support the Congress government, PTI reported. Surendra Singh Shera, the Independent MLA from Burhanpur, denied that he had been abducted by anyone, as alleged by the Congress. The party has claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to destabilise its government.
Three other MLAs – Hardeep Singh Dang, Bisahulal Singh and Raghuraj Kansana of the Congress – are reportedly still missing.
Shera, who returned on Saturday afternoon, was greeted by Minister for Public Relations PC Sharma at the Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal on his arrival. From there, he was immediately escorted to Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s home. Earlier, Shera had said he was in Bengaluru for his daughter’s medical treatment.
At the airport, Shera alleged that he faced “misbehaviour” on his way to the Bengaluru airport. “I was not abducted,” PTI quoted him as saying. “Nobody can abduct a lion. But efforts were made to delay my flight from Bengaluru. I was misbehaved with and stopped on the way to airport in Bengaluru. Therefore, I missed my flight.”
Shera, who had earlier rebelled against the Congress after being denied an election ticket, reiterated his support to the party’s government in the state and said, “I have been with Kamal Nath for the past 25-years.” The Independent MLA also said that he was not with the three other missing Congress legislators in Bengaluru.
He added he was sure that he would be inducted into the state Cabinet.
Meanwhile, PC Sharma said that Shera raised certain concerns during his meeting with the chief minister. “He is like family to the Congress, and put forward his points before the CM and these issues would be followed up,” he said, adding that he was confident that other missing MLAs will return soon.
Congress minister Tarun Bhanot, who accompanied Shera to Nath’s office, said “Shera’s feelings” will be taken care of at “an appropriate time”.
On Friday, Hardeep Singh Dang, the MLA from Suwasra, was reported to have sent his resignation letter, accusing the Congress of factionalism and corruption. However, Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati said Dang had not submitted the resignation to him in person, and that appropriate steps would be taken once it was done.
On Tuesday, the Congress had alleged that 10 MLAs who support its government in Madhya Pradesh had been taken by the BJP to the Gurugram hotel. Late that night, the party claimed to have “rescued” six of them – four of the Congress and one each of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
However, four MLAs remained missing and were allegedly taken to Bengaluru. This included Dang, Kansana and Bisahu Lal Singh and Independent MLA Shera. On Thursday, the Congress claimed that the BJP had “abducted” 14 of its MLAs , but details of this allegation are not clear.
In the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs and the BJP has 107. Out of the rest of the seats, the BSP has two and the Samajwadi Party has one. Four are Independent MLAs, while two seats are currently vacant.
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