Ahead of bypolls, MP BJP launches membership drive in Gwalior

The drive comes ahead of the yet-to-be-announced byelections to 27 assembly seats in the state. Chouhan recalled that when Scindia, while he was in the Congress, said he would hit the streets if people's grievances were not resolved, then chief minister Kamal Nath had said dismissively that he was free to do that.

BJP leaders including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia targeted Congress leader Kamal Nath on Saturday as the saffron party launched a three-day membership drive here. The drive comes ahead of the yet-to-be-announced byelections to 27 assembly seats in the state.

Chouhan recalled that when Scindia, while he was in the Congress, said he would hit the streets if people's grievances were not resolved, then chief minister Kamal Nath had said dismissively that he was free to do that. "In fact, Scindia has brought Nath on the road," Chouhan said.

"Nath is an outsider, he will return to Delhi after the by-elections," Chouhan added. Under Nath, Vallabh Bhawan (secretariat) had turned into "corrupt Bhawan", Union Minister Narendra Tomar said.

"That is why Scindia left the Congress and joined the BJP," he added. Scindia alleged that a culture of corruption flourished during Nath's tenure as chief minister. "Nath as chief minister had time for businessmen but not for ministers and party MLAs," he said.

State BJP president V D Sharma claimed that people's "mandate was for Scindia" when Nath became CM in 2018. Meanwhile, the police arrested hundreds of Congress workers who protested near the venue. The event violated the coronavirus-related restrictions, the opposition party said.

Congress' media-in-charge for Gwalior and Chambal region K K Mishra accused the police of highhandedness. While on the one hand the state government has banned public display of Ganesh idols citing coronavirus outbreak, the BJP put up a big pandal with a huge stage to accommodate a big crowd, he said.

The saffron party, meanwhile, claimed that Congress workers from all 26 constituencies in the Gwalior-Chambal region are set to join the BJP. During the three-day drive, Chouhan, Scindia, Tomar and Sharma will hold talks with the party's public representatives and office-bearers in the region to chalk out a strategy for the bypolls, it added.

Twenty-two Congress MLAs, mostly from the Scindia camp, resigned in March, reducing the Kamal Nath-led dispensation to a minority and paving the way for the BJP to form the government. Scindia and these former MLAs then joined the BJP. Last month, three more Congress MLAs resigned and joined the saffron party. Two other assembly seats have fallen vacant due to the demise of legislators. PTI COR LALMAS NP KRK KRK