Madhya Pradesh: Despite Governor’s second order, Floor test not conducted

BHOPAL: The state government and Governor Lalji Tandon are lurching towards an angry showdown.

Despite Tandon’s order, the government kept away from conducting a floor on Tuesday, too.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath dashed off a letter to Tandon, pleading that, he could not conduct a floor test, because of corona virus and because some of his legislators were kept in captivity.

Earlier, the Governor asked Nath to prove majority immediately after his address, but the government did not do that.

Instead of following the Governor’s directive, Speaker NP Prajapati put off the House proceedings till March 26 on the pretext of spread of corona virus.

The government’s constant refusal to conduct a floor test has created a constitutional crisis of sort in the state.

The Governor is sending a report to the President through the Central Government.

Tandon has also consulted legal experts about the issue. According to sources, the Governor will take a decision after the Supreme Court hearing of the case on Wednesday.

If the Supreme Court takes a decision on the floor test, the Governor may not take his decision, sources said.

According to constitutional experts, the Governor can recommend for President’s rule in the state in case Nath does not conduct the floor test.

The President’s rule was imposed in the state in 1992, and after that, such situation did not arise.

Now that the state government has kept away from following Governor’s directive and that a constitutional crisis has arisen, the Governor has the only one alternative: to recommend for President’s rule.