The Hindu : Cong. to seek disqualification of dissident MLAs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 29, 2003

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Cong. to seek disqualification of dissident MLAs

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi Jan. 28. The Congress leadership has directed its Legislature Party leader in Uttar Pradesh, Pramod Tewari, to press the Speaker of the Assembly, for the disqualification of some of its members who formed a new group today in Lucknow.

The move to seek the disqualification of the MLAs was decided upon at a meeting the party president, Sonia Gandhi, held here this evening with Motilal Vora, the AICC general secretary incharge of the State, and H.R. Bhardwaj, chairperson of the AICC legal cell.

Mr. Vora has been asked go to Lucknow tomorrow to take stock of the situation and report back to the leadership.

The party challenged the dissidents'claim of a split in the party. Mr. Bhardwaj said that according to para 2 of the Tenth Schedule, a split could take place only if there was a split in the political wing of the party, after which legislators could form a separate group The party is challenging the Speaker's decision to recognise the breakaway legislators as a separate group. "This is totally unfair," said Mr. Bhardwaj.

Mr. Vora also challenged the Speaker's decision. His argument was based on the ground that the number was short of the one-third mark required for a split. "They have counted the name of Akhilesh Singh, who the Speaker had declared as an unattached member in November itself,'' he contended.

This, however, is the second instance of Congress MLAs deserting their party to join Government. In 1997, 22 MLAs led by Naresh Agarwal broke away from the party and formed a separate group called Loktantrik Congress and later helped prop up the Kalyan Singh-led Government.

Senior party leaders also condemned the developments in Lucknow and blamed the Mayawati Government for enticing its MLAs .

"This really is a sad day for democracy, the Government and its officers have tried to pressure and lure our MLAs '' Mr. Vora said.

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