6-time Cong MLA sworn in as BJP minister in Madhya Pradesh | India News – Times of India

BHOPAL: A Congress MLA was sworn in as a minister in BJP-led MP govt, that too twice in 15 minutes, here on Monday. Ram Niwas Rawat, a six-time legislator from Vijaypur, joined BJP at a public function on April 30. But he refused to formally quit Congress till BJP fulfilled its promise of making him a minister, according to sources.
At Raj Bhavan on Monday, Rawat first took oath as a ‘rajya mantri’ (junior minister).Whether it was a slip of the tongue that he called himself “rajya mantri” instead of “rajya ka mantri” or a procedural gaffe isn’t known, but he had to take oath again, now as a cabinet minister.
Cong neither gave recognition nor respect: MP MLA after joining BJP
It was only after he was sworn in that Ram Niwas Rawat wrote to MP assembly speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to say he resigned as a Congress legislator.
Congress was outraged. “A report with sufficient basis and authenticity was submitted before the Speaker to terminate the membership of Congress MLA Ram Niwas Rawat (on July 5). Unfortunately, he did not perform his duty. BJP, which is notorious for killing democracy, got a Congress MLA sworn in as minister. This is a blatant insult to democracy and the Constitution,” said PCC chief Jitu Patwari.

Rawat, a prominent OBC face in Gwalior-Chambal region, was a minister in the Digvijaya Singh govt and was among the few from the area who did not follow Jyotiraditya Scindia into BJP in March 2020. This is why it came as a major shock to Congress when he joined BJP in the presence of chief minister Mohan Yadav at a public meeting in Vijaypur on April 30, the very day that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was campaigning in the state.
A week later Morena went to polls and Rawat’s switch to BJP is believed to have played a significant role in the saffron camp’s victory. Vijaypur is in Sheopur district but is part of Morena Lok Sabha constituency.
After joining BJP, Rawat claimed Congress hadn’t given him recognition or respect. Over two months after he joined BJP he was inducted as the 32nd member of Mohan Yadav’s cabinet.
The oath-taking ceremony turned out to be more dramatic. At 9.03 am, Rawat took oath as a junior minister. Instead of saying “rajya ka mantri (state’s minister), he read his oath as “rajya mantri (minister of state)”. This created a commotion amongst his supporters, who voiced their disappointment. Fifteen minutes later Rawat was again sworn in, this time as a cabinet minister.
CM Yadav, deputy CMs Rajendra Shukla & Jagdish Dewda, state BJP chief VD Sharma, state BJP organisational general secretary Hitananda Sharma & minister for water resources Tulsi Silawat were present at the swearing-in.