MLAs being held hostage in Bengaluru, BJP attempting to hijack MP govt: Kamal Nath

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday said that Digvijaya Singh not being allowed to meet rebel Congress MLAs in Bengaluru was a sign that the BJP was attempting to hijack his government.

"Digvijayaji is our Rajya Sabha candidate, he went to meet MLAs but he was told that he is a security risk. He became a security risk amid 500 Karnataka police personnel? This shows MLAs have been held hostage and BJP is attempting to hijack the government," Kamal Nath told ANI here.

"Why are they not bringing a no-confidence motion, they want us to prove the majority through a floor test without bringing the no-confidence motion," he added.

"Shivraj Singhji is dreaming of becoming the chief minister and three-four others from the BJP too are in the race, but their dreams will not be fulfilled," he said, slamming the BJP leader.

He reiterated that the MLAs in Bengaluru are under pressure from the BJP and therefore their letters and press conferences hold no meaning.

Congress' Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh who landed in Bengaluru early on Wednesday was placed under preventive arrest after he sat on a dharna near Ramada Hotel here, allegedly for not being allowed by police to meet the 21 Congress rebel MLAs lodged in a hotel.

"I am a Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, voting is scheduled for March 26. My MLAs have been kept here, they want to speak to me, their phones have been snatched, the police is not letting me speak to them saying there is a security threat to MLAs," Singh told reporters.

Singh who sat on the dharna with a face mask said: "We were expecting them to come back, but when we saw they're being held back, messages came from their families...I personally spoke to five MLAs, they said they're captive, phones snatched away, there is Police in front of every room. They're being followed 24/7," Singh said.

The development comes amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh in the wake of the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress party.

Scindia's departure was followed by 22 Congress MLAs resigning from the party as well as from the state legislative Assembly.

The resignation of these MLAs has left the Kamal Nath government below the majority mark.