BJP in Serious Business of Poaching, Abducting MLAs and Stealing Govts: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of being in the "business of poaching and abducting MLAs, and stealing governments", claiming that the party has fine-tuned the art.

Terming the recent developments in Madhya Pradesh an insult to democracy, senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the saffron party attempts to destabilise non-BJP governments in states.

"The BJP has fine-tuned the art of poaching and abducting MLAs and stealing governments," he said.

Sharma questioned why the BJP was intolerant towards non-BJP governments in the states which have come to power with public mandate.

"The BJP is a ruling party and is expected to follow certain norms and procedures. It is now seriously in business of poaching MLAs and stealing governments," he told reporters at a press conference here.

Sharma said the Congress condemned the BJP for creating a crisis in Madhya Pradesh by poaching MLAs and taking them to Bengaluru.

"It is against political morality, mandate of people and against principles and precedents of parliamentary democracy," he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on Jyotiraditya Scindia resignation from the Congress, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said those who quit the party after raising a hue and cry, eventually return silently.

Talking to reporters at the Swami Vivekanand Airport here on Wednesday before leaving for Delhi, Baghel said the Kamal Nath government is "safe" and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart is yet to show "his move".

Asked about Scindia's resignation from the Congress, Baghel quoted a Hindi poem and said, "Kuchh to majbooriyan rahi hongi, warna koi yun hi bewafa thode hota hai" (there must have been some compulsion, no one is disloyal without a reason).

"We have seen, those who quit the Congress while growling, came back silently. There have been many such instances. Those who left the party after raising a hue and cry, later returned to the fold silently," he said.

Asked about Kamal Nath's confidence of retaining his government despite not all Congress MLAs attending the legislature party meet on Tuesday, Baghel said the Madhya Pradesh government will prove in the House that it is safe.