Kamal Nath said Surendra Nath Singh's threat just goes to show the "culture" of the BJP.
Highlights
- Surendra Nath Singh claimed that state government was oppressing the poor
- He was produced before a local court, which let him off on bail
- BJP's Akash Vijayvargiya was earlier arrested for assaulting an official
A BJP leader was arrested on Friday after he allegedly threatened to spill the blood of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on the streets of Bhopal for "targeting the poor and helpless". He was the second BJP leader to be arrested by the state police over the last few weeks, after Indore legislator Akash Vijayvargiya.
Besides issuing the threat, former Bhopal legislator Surendra Nath Singh was also accused of trying to prevent civic officials from carrying out their duties.
Charges were filed against Mr Singh in four cases at the MP Nagar and TT Nagar police stations. He was subsequently produced before a local court, which granted him bail in all the four cases upon production of personal and surety bonds of Rs 30,000 each.
Mr Singh and his supporters had planned to protest outside the state assembly on Thursday to condemn inflated electricity bills, attempts to disconnect power supply to the poor and a proposed drive to remove encroachments. However, with police refusing to let them pass, they began raising slogans at Roshanpura Crossing. As some of the protesters shouted that they were willing to "spill blood on the streets for the cause of justice", the BJP leader allegedly recommended that it be that of Kamal Nath.
Mr Singh was also accused of threatening to storm the state secretariat if the poor were not given justice, and asking his supporters to disconnect electricity to the Chief Minister's residence as well as the secretariat if similar action was taken against poor people over non-payment of bills.
"The whole house has condemned his remarks, but this just goes to show the culture of the BJP," said Kamal Nath.
In the state assembly, Congress legislators trooped into the well of the house to demand an apology for Mr Singh's open threat against the Chief Minister. While the BJP members - led by Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava - admitted that such actions cannot be defended, they wanted ruling party legislators to debate the issue instead of stalling the proceedings.
Akash Vijayvargiya was arrested last month for allegedly attacking an Indore civic official with a cricket bat. The incident earned him a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.