MP BJP chief meets state unit leaders

A day after two party MLAs voted in favour of a bill tabled by the Congress government in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the opposition BJP on Thursday went into a huddle.

State BJP president Rakesh Singh held talks with party's Madhya Pradesh organisational general secretary Suhas Bhagat, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for over two hours at the party office here on Thursday.

Former minister Narottam Mishra and BJP MLA Sanjay Pathak who was earlier with the Congress, too briefly met the four leaders, party sources said.

Later, Pathak also met two state ministers -- Tarun Bhanot and Umang Singhar -- sources said.

There was speculation in political circles that Pathak, whose father Satyendra Pathak was a minister in a past Congress government in the state, may return to the Congress' fold.

Pathak, however, denied these rumours.

Rakesh Singh, meanwhile, also met some RSS leaders, a BJP leader said.

Singh, the Lok Sabha MP from Jabalpur, rushed to Bhopal on Wednesday after the BJP's Central leadership took a dim view of two party MLAs voting in favour of the bill moved by the Congress government, sources said.

"Everything is under control," the BJP leader told reporters here on Thursday.

"There is no groupism in the party and it is united. We did not seek division of votes on Wednesday," he said.

BJP legislators Narayan Tripathi and Sharad Kol voted in favour of the Criminal Law (Madhya Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2019 when it was put to vote in the Assembly.