Congress expels Chaturvedi

Terming party MLA Chouhdary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi as "a traitor", Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kantilal Bhuria today expelled him for six years.
Chaturvedi, deputy leader of Madhya Pradesh Congress legislature party (CLP), had announced earlier that he was quitting Congress and joining the ruling BJP.
"Choudhary has been expelled from the party for six years for opposing the no-confidence motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh and later joining the BJP," Bhuria said in a statement this evening.
The expulsion was preceded by a resolution by CLP terming Chaturvedi's act 'treason' and recommending his ouster.
In a dramatic development in the Assembly today, Chaturvedi opposed a Congress-sponsored no-confidence motion and criticised AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh over a tweet.

This led to a chaotic scene in the Assembly, as the motion fell through and the house was adjourned indefinitely.

Chaturvedi announced his decision to join BJP at a press conference which he jointly addressed with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar.
He said he had spoken against the no-confidence motion in the Assembly as a matter of principle and he could not compromise on his ideology.
He also said that he was hurt by Digvijay's tweet referring to former BJP minister Raghavji who has been arrested on sodomy charges.
Chaturvedi's father, Dilip Singh, was elected to Madhya Pradesh Assembly on BJP ticket in 1980.

The state would be facing Assembly elections by the end of this year.