Minister for SC/ST welfare Gyan Singh was elected MP from the Shahdol Lok Sabha seat in a by-election six months ago. He took oath in Parliament on December 6, but still continues to be a cabinet minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. The Constitution mandates that a minister can continue in office for only six months without being a member of the state legislature.

Gyan Singh, who was MLA from the Bandavgarh assembly seat, resigned in the first week of December from the state assembly to be sworn in as a member of Lok Sabha. Asked if Gyan Singh has sent his resignation to the chief minister, minister for water resources and state government spokesman Narottam Mishra told media said that there were a few more days left for six months to be completed.

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is hoping that good sense will prevail and the minister will submit his resignation soon, but state BJP sources point out Gyan Singh was not willing to contest the elections from Shahdol as he did not want to give up his ministerial berth.

But since the party needed a known, reliable face in the Shahdol tribal reserved seat to take on the Congress' young Himadri Singh, Gyan Singh was zeroed in as the only winnable option.

Gyan Singh came to the assembly session and took a chair along with other ministers, even though he was no longer a member of the house causing a flutter. Both the Chief Minister and the Speaker were present in the house.

BJP faced another embarrassing situation when minister of state for general administration department (GAD) Lal Singh Arya was served an arrest warrant in connection with the alleged murder of former Congress MLA Makhanlal Jatav. The Congress has launched an agitation demanding the dismissal of the minister and submitted a memorandum to governor Om Prakash Kohli in this regard and alleging that the chief minister was protecting Arya. They cited the case of former minister Anup Mishra, who was asked to step down just because his name figured in the FIR of a murder case. Similarly, former chief minister and presently Union minister for water resources Uma Bharati had to resign after a Karnataka court issued summons against her.

In yet another episode, the state BJP has served a show cause notice to former minister Kamal Patel for ‘indiscipline and anti-party activities’ apparently for raising his voice against illegal sand mining in the state. Patel has been vocal against illegal sand mining in four districts and has demanded the transfer of collector and other officials, alleging their connivance with the sand mafia. The state leadership is upset by the way Patel attacked his own party government over the sensitive illegal sand mining issue, say sources.

Observers feel that Kamal has raised this issue at a juncture when his son, also a BJP leader, has been served an externment order prohibiting his entry in four districts, including his home district. The order was passed by the district collector, whom Kamal Patel is accusing of involvement in the illegal sand mining racket. In the wake of Patel’s tirade, the state government initially ordered the transfer of the district collector, but later cancelled it and rescinded the collector’s order as well.

The BJP faced yet another ugly episode when state minister Gaurishanker Bisen and party MP Bhagal exchanged angry words bordering abusive language at a public function in Balaghat district. Bhagal lost his cool when he was not allowed to speak at a government programme where the minister was present. (IPA Service)