MP Crisis: Digvijay Singh Detained In Bengaluru, SC To Hear BJP Plea Today

New Delhi: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, flew into Bengaluru in the early hours of Wednesday to meet rebel MLAs staying at a local hotel. Singh was received at the airport by the newly-appointed chief of Karnataka state Congress, DK Shiva Kumar.

However, Digvijay Singh reportedly could not meet the 22 MLAs of the MP state assembly who are holed up at a Bengaluru hotel. He was denied permission to sit on a dharna in protest and subsequently detained by the Bengaluru police. An angry Singh claimed to the media that he was a Gandhian, was not carrying arms and yet was being detained.

Digvijay Singh declared to the media that he would continue to stay in Bengaluru and that he would go on a hunger strike.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Wednesday, a petition filed by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and nine other MLAs, seeking a direction to the Kamal Nath government to conduct a floor test stating that it had been reduced to a minority after 22 Congress MLAs left the party. The apex court had taken up the case for hearing on Tuesday and issued notices to the MP government, assembly speaker and Congress party in the matter, seeking a response in 24 hours, according to media reports.

The state Governor Lalji Tandon wrote to Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday, directing him to ensure that a floor test is held on Monday. MP assembly had convened on Monday for the Budget Session, but defying the orders of the Governor, the Speaker, NP Prajapati, adjourned the House to March 26 over the Coronavirus crisis.

The rebel MLAs have also approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking the apex court's directions to the assembly speaker for acceptance of their resignations.