BHOPAL: Chief Minister Kamal Nath expressed confidence of winning the floor test claiming that he was in ‘secret talks’ with the 16 Congress MLAs who allegedly are held captive in Bengaluru.
"I am in talks with many of them (MLAs), secretly. I have belief in my MLAs. I am in touch with them...If they were brainwashed, they would not have called me up...," Chief minister told media here on Thursday hours before Supreme Court directed Assembly
Speaker N P Prajapati to convene a special session on Friday for conducting the floor test.
The chief minister ruled out the possibility of his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan returning to power with the support of the ‘rebels’ Congress legislators. Dismissing any threat from the BJP, he said: "In fact some BJP leaders are in touch with me. Shivraj is only dreaming about becoming chief minister again.
"I will not be bowled by Shivraj-ji's googly. His googly will be a wide," said the CM, pointedly using cricket metaphor a day after Shivraj Singh Chouhan was seen in photos participating in a match
Kamal Nath's 15-month-old government is on the verge of crashing after 22 Congress MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia flew to Bengaluru last Monday and resigned as the four-time Congress MP crossed over to the BJP.
Jyotiraditya Scindia's switch was shocking, but not entirely unexpected after months of bickering between him, Kamal Nath and another Congress veteran, Digvijaya Singh, in Madhya Pradesh. "I never thought he (Jyotiraditya Scindia) would leave, but everyone decides their own future and he chose his," Kamal Nath said.
On reports that Scindia was upset at being denied any post, including that of MP Congress chief, he tossed the subject towards the party's Delhi leadership and said: "I couldn't have made him the chief. This decision is taken in Delhi. Why he was unhappy, our leaders in Delhi will answer."
