Amit Shah’s MP visit makes Congress nervous

Bhopal: The “probable” visit of BJP national president Amit Shah to Madhya Pradesh this week has caused nervousness in Congress with the ruling party sparing no efforts to keep its flock in the Assembly together.

Congress, which has strength of 114 in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, two less than the magic number of 116 to gain majority, has formed government in the state with outside support from two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs, one Samajwadi Party (SP) and four Independents.

The Opposition BJP has demanded floor test by the Kamal Nath government to prove its majority in the House in the aftermath of return of NDA to power at the Centre in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Words have spread in BJP that Mr Shah is most likely to visit MP on June 7 to attend the 12th day post-death ceremony of father of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The ceremony was scheduled to be held at Mr Chouhan’s native village of Jait in Budhni district.

Mr Shah’s schedule was however yet to be finalised. “Mr Shah’s visit to MP is yet to be finalised”, BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal said.

However, the speculation on Mr Shah’s visit to MP to attend the occasion has already caused unease in ruling Congress here.

“We are keeping a watch on the development. Senior leaders of Congress as well as some ministers have been put on alert to ensure that no MLAs either from Congress or from our allies such as BSP, and SP, besides four Independents who are giving outside support to the Kamal Nath government, keep in touch with the rival party”, a senior Congress leader told this newspaper here on Monday.

While Congress has strength of 114 in the 230-member MP assembly, BJP has 109 MLAs.