'Missing' MP MLA returns, says he supports Kamal Nath

Surendra Singh Shera, one of the four missing MLAs supporting the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh who went 'missing', returned in Bhopal on Saturday and stated that he continues to be on the Congress' side.

The independent MLA from Burhanpur, who returned by an afternoon flight from Delhi, also denied that he had been abducted.

The Congress had alleged that the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to poach its MLAs to bring down the state government.

Three Congress MLAs -- Hardeep Singh Dang, Bisahulal Singh and Raghuraj Kansana -- are reportedly still untraceable.

Minister for public relations P C Sharma greeted Shera at Raja Bhoj airport on his arrival, from where he was taken to the residence of chief minister Nath.

Talking to reporters, Shera denied that he had been abducted by anyone.

"I was not abducted. Nobody can abduct a lion. But efforts were made to delay my flight from Bengaluru...I was misbehaved with and stopped on the way to airport in Bengaluru. Therefore I missed my flight," he claimed without elaborating further.

The MLA -- a former Congressman who rebelled when he was denied ticket -- reiterated his support to the government, saying, "I have been with Kamal Nath for the past 25-years."

When asked if he will be inducted in the state Cabinet, he said, "Surely."

Shera also denied that he was in Bengaluru with the missing Congress legislators.

Earlier, in a video released on Friday night, Shera had said he was visiting BJP-ruled Karnataka's capital in connection with his daughter's treatment.

After Shera's meeting with the chief minister, Sharma said the MLA raised certain issues.

"Shera was repeatedly stopped in Bengaluru and Delhi. He is like family to the Congress. He put forward his points before the CM and these issues would be followed up," the minister told reporters.

Another Congress minister, Tarun Bhanot, who accompanied the MLA, said "Shera's feelings" will be taken care of at appropriate time.

Shera and the other MLAs who went missing were reportedly disgruntled over not finding berth in the Cabinet.

Asked about missing Congress MLAs Dang, Bisahulal Singh and Kansana, Sharma said they too will return soon.

A resignation letter purportedly written by Dang had gone viral on social media but the MLA could not be contacted for verification.

A senior BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh on Saturday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah demanding security for MLAs in the state amid a poaching row with the ruling Congress.

On Friday, BJP MLAs and former ministers Sanjay Pathak and Vishwas Sarang had claimed threat to their lives after the Kamal Nath government withdrew their personal security officers.

Rameshwar Sharma, MP BJP vice president and MLA from Huzur in Bhopal, said he has written to Shah to provide security to legislators.

"MLAs from BJP, BSP, SP as well as Independents, and even those from the Congress, having differences with CM Kamal Nath or (senior Congress leader and RS MP) Digvijaya Singh face a threat to their lives," Sharma said.

He alleged that the state DGP (VK Singh) was removed from the post "overnight" as he refused to budge when the "Congress regime wanted to misuse the police force".

"We have full faith in MP police but they are working under pressure from the Kamal Nath government. So in such a situation, we have to demand security from the Centre for MLAs who oppose the Congress government here," Sharma said.

Meanwhile, PC Sharma called the change in personal security officers as a "routine process".

"But why are they (BJP) afraid? It seems the illegal works started during the (previous) BJP regime are still going on," the minister claimed.

BJP MLAs Pathak and Sarang had claimed a threat to their lives after their PSOs, who were on duty with them for 10-20 years, were removed.

Pathak even alleged that a 'pran-ghatak ghatna' (life threatening incident) occurred with him on Wednesday night but refused to share details.

Sarang claimed the Kamal Nath government wanted to reduce the number of BJP MLAs by "killing them".

Earlier this week the Congress claimed that the BJP had "abducted" 14 MLAs to bring down the government in Madhya Pradesh, an allegation which the opposition party denied.

The Congress holds a thin majority in the 230-member assembly with its own 114 MLAs and support of two Bahujan Samaj Party, one Samajwadi Party and four independents.

The BJP has 107 legislators while two seats are vacant.