Kamal Nath slams COVID-19 situation in MP, claims Centre to blame for 'toppling his govt'

On Sunday, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath took a swipe at the Centre for its handling of the novel coronavirus crisis. Highlighting that MP was the only state which did not have either a Health Minister or a Home Minister, he alleged that the Centre delayed taking steps to tackle COVID-19 as it was busy in toppling his government in the state. To buttress his point, he mentioned that the lockdown was imposed 40 days after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed his concern. Moreover, Nath claimed that no action had been taken by the BJP government after his resignation as the CM on March 16. Arguing that the situation in the state was very grave, he contended that COVID-19 testing was taking place only in some urban areas while the rural areas were being ignored. 

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COVID-19 crisis in MP

Currently, Madhya Pradesh has 532 confirmed novel coronavirus cases besides 36 casualties being reported. This is one of the worst fatality rates in India so far. Furthermore, officials from the state Health Department comprise more than half of the COVID-19 patients in the capital city Bhopal. These include the Principal Secretary, state Ayushman Bharat Yojana CEO, Deputy Directors, Additional Directors, doctors, and class IV employees. Indore's fatality rate of 10% is also one of the worst among all the cities in the country. The borders of three cities- Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain have been sealed to prevent the spread of the virus. 

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Congress government reduced to a minority

The political turmoil in MP was sparked off by Jyotiraditya Scindia's sudden resignation from the Congress party on March 10. This was followed by 22 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs putting in their papers and departing for Bengaluru. The Governor directed the Speaker to conduct a floor test on March 16, the first day of the budget session. However, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly till March 26 in view of the novel coronavirus crisis without conducting the floor test.

Ruling on a plea of BJP leaders seeking an immediate floor test, a two-judge SC bench observed that the MP Assembly session should be reconvened on March 20 for the sole purpose of holding a floor test by show of hands. Most importantly, the rebel MLAs were not compelled to attend the session. As the resignation of all rebel MLAs was accepted by the Speaker, the Congress government was reduced to a minority. Subsequently, Kamal Nath stepped down as the CM. Several Congress leaders have alleged that the Parliament was not adjourned in time deliberately to ensure that the MP Speaker had to conduct the floor test. So far, no other Minister apart from CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been sworn in. 

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