Demonstration effect

The Congress sits in opposition in Madhya Pradesh and is always on the lookout for issues to take on the BJP government in the state, and the recent expulsion of two Congress MLAs from the Assembly provided the perfect opportunity. The Congress had demanded a discussion in the House on corruption in the state but it was rejected. Thereafter, the membership of two Congress MLAs, Choudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi and Kalpana Parulekar, was terminated for “unruly behaviour”. The state Congress soon swung into action, planning rallies and demonstrations against the state government with the full approval and backing of the Congress high command in Delhi. But the party found itself red-faced when its two MLAs suddenly “apologised” for their behaviour. Even before the planned demonstrations could begin, the Speaker swiftly reinstated the two and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed it as a “historic” decision. Congress President Sonia Gandhi was reportedly furious over the incident.