In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse.
Scindia, 49, appeared set to join the BJP, a party which hadhis late grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia as one of the leading lights amidspeculation he will get a Rajya Sabha ticket and be made a union minister.
A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of noconsequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of theerstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities.
On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi,Scindia, once considered a rising star of the Congress, met senior BJP leader and Home Minister AmitShah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, LokKalyan Marg residence.
In the resignation letter dated March 9 to Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi, Scindia said “it is now time for me to move on” as hewas unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party.
With Scindia quitting the party, the Congress government inMadhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse. Sources said 22 Congress MLAsfrom Scindia’s camp have quit theparty–19 of them sent in their resignations to Governor Lal Ji Tandon whilethree despatched it to the Speaker directly.Sixof the MLAs are ministers. After their resignation, Kamal Nath wrote to theGovernor seeking their immediate removal.