'BJP has acquired so much wealth that its ready to auction MLAs': Digvijaya Singh

Responding to BJP leader and former Chhattisgarh minister Brijmohan Agarwal's comments on Wednesday, Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked whether the BJP and Brijmohan Agrawal were conducting an auction of MLAs. Agarwal said the Congress party was rattled as wrong decisions taken by it have led to dissatisfaction among its workers and the party was worried that it will in Chhattisgarh face a fate similar to that of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

'Huge discontent among Congress legislators'

"There is a huge discontent among Congress legislators in the state. Therefore, the ruling party decided in a hurry to appoint parliamentary secretaries while it has also intensified the process to appoint chairpersons of corporations, commissions and boards in the state. All these developments are the impact of what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan," Agrawal said.

"Congress fears that what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan may get replicated in Chhattisgarh," the former minister said. Agarwal's comment came after the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday appointed 15 MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.

'...they are prepared to auction'

Replying to Agarwal, Digvijaya Singh, who reached Raipur on Wednesday said, "Yani ki itna paisa aa gaya hai BJP aur Brijmohan Ji ke pas ki wo jis tarah se nilami hoti hai, nilami karne baithe hain kya? (This means BJP and Brijmohan has acquired so much wealth that they are prepared to auction)" When asked about political turmoil in Rajasthan, the Rajya Sabha MP said that he was not the party's in-charge for Rajasthan and hasn't been to Jaipur so he is unaware about it.

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In the 90-member state assembly, the Congress has 69 MLAs, while the BJP has 14. Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have 4 and 2 members, respectively, in the assembly. Marwahi assembly seat is lying vacant after the death of former Chief Minister and JCC (J) MLA Ajit Jogi in May.

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(With agency inputs)