BJP for extension of MP monsoon session;Cong says no precedent

Reviving a debate on the survival of the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh which has wafer-thin majority in the House, the BJP Saturday demanded that duration of the upcoming monsoon session be extended to 25 days during which the opposition party will seek division of votes on financial matters.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava stated that duration of a session in which budget is presented was never "shortened" to just 19 days having 15 sittings.

"The session period should be extended to 25 working days (125 hours)," he stated.

As per an official release issued Friday, Governor Anandiban Patel approved holding of the monsoon session from July 8 to July 26.

When asked about the strategy to be adopted by the BJP during the session, Bhargava told PTI the party would try to corner the government on its "failure" on delivering on various fronts in the last six months.

"People are in great distress in Madhya Pradesh due to lawlessness, water shortage and electricity crisis," he said, adding that the BJP will seek (vote) divisions on financial matters".

According to sources in the BJP, the strategy to seek votes on financial matters was aimed at toppling the Kamal Nath government.

Notably, the BJP had last month demanded that the Congress-led dispensation prove its majority, and had written a letter to state Governor for convening a special session of the state Assembly.

Nath had then announced that he was all prepared to go for a floor test.

The CM had then said he had proven majority of his coalition government "four times" in the last five months.

Meanwhile, state Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja has termed as "unfair" the BJP's demand for extension of the session.

"Monsoon sessions were never held for such a long duration in the past. This is not a budget session. Even the previous BJP government had held the monsoon session for just five-seven days," he said.

The Congress has 114 MLAs in the 230-member House where the majority mark is 116.

The state government is surviving on support of two MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one MLA of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and four Independents. The BJP has 109 MLAs.