Bhopal/Bengaluru, March 17 Lashing out at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, rebel Congress MLAs lodged in Bengaluru on Tuesday said that they were ready to return to their state's capital Bhopal but only with security provided by central paramilitary forces.
Rebel legislators told the media persons in Bengaluru that all of them had come to the Karnataka capital voluntarily, neither of them had been held hostage, nor was there any pressure on them.
The legislators claimed they have not yet decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
As many as 22 Congress MLAs owing allegiance to Jyotiraditya Scindia rebelled against their party government and are since camping in Bengaluru. The resignations of six of these MLAs have since been accepted.
Legislators who interacted with the media included Govind Singh Rajput, Rajvardhan Singh, Andal Singh Kansana, Tulsi Ram Silavat, Imarti Devi, and Bisahu Lal Singh.
The MLAs claimed that they did not trust their native state's security. "What will happen to us if Scindia is attacked in Bhopal? That is the question. Therefore, the MLAs are ready to go to Bhopal, if they get central security," one of the rebel MLAs said.
Rajput said that Chief Minister Kamal Nath only worried about his constituency Chhindwara. "He did not do developmental work worth even one rupee in the constituencies of other Congress MLAs, whereas projects worth thousands of crores were taken up in Chhindwara," he claimed.
Rajvardhan Singh also claimed that the Chief Minister had made promises but did not fulfil any of them. "Kamal Nath is not just the Chief Minister of Chhindwara," he remarked.
When the rebel MLAs were asked if they would follow Scindia into the BJP, they said in unison that no decision had been taken by them so far. "Everyone will come together and then take a decision," they claimed.
( With inputs from IANS )