Bhopal: Operation Lotus, launched with the avowed aim of toppling the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, has floundered. Most of the legislators, who were expected to cross over to the BJP, returned to the party fold after a 24-hour-long drama.
Six of the ten MLAs -- Congress (six), BSP (two), SP (one) and Independent (one) – who were holed up in Gurgaon, are back home. Most of them were angry with the Kamal Nath government for one reason or the other.
On Tuesday night, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh went to Hotel Maurya Sheraton in Gurgaon, where the MLAs were cooped up. Singh established links with the restless MLAs, ferried them back to Bhopal by a chartered flight and handed them over to chief minister Kamal Nath.
Later, at the CM’s residence the MLAs had a long discussion with Nath who pacified them as well as gave them a dressed down for their misadventure.
Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said the BJP’s plan was to smuggle the legislators to Bengaluru. He said since party leaders were alert and had got wind of their hideout in Gurgaon, the party was able to track them down.
He alleged that the MLAs were found with a huge booty in hard cash -- the first of the three instalments. The second would have been given during the RS elections and the third after the government had been toppled, Singh claimed, adding that there is no danger to the State government.
