‘Malicious intent’: Mayawati lashes out at Gehlot for merger of BSP MLAs in Cong
Her remarks came a day after the Rajasthan high court disposed of a petition by a BJP legislator who questioned speaker CP Joshi’s alleged inaction over the merger of all six BSP MLAs.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati lashed out at Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, saying he merged her party’s MLAs with Congress due to malicious intent.
“In Rajasthan, after elections results BSP gave unconditional support of all its six MLAs to Congress. Unfortunately, chief minister Ashok Gehlot, out of his malicious intent and to damage the BSP, merged them with Congress unconsititutionally. He did the same even in his last tenure,” Mayawati said on Tuesday.
“We have asked the six MLAs, who are elected to Rajasthan assembly on the symbol of BSP, to vote against Congress in any proceedings to be held during assembly Session. If they don’t do so, their party membership will be cancelled,” she added.
Mayawati also said that the party is ready to go to court. “The BSP could have gone to the court earlier too but we were looking for a time to teach Congress party and CM Ashok Gehlot a lesson. Now we have decided to go to the court. We will not let this matter alone. We will go even to the Supreme Court,” the BSP chief said.
Her remarks came a day after the Rajasthan high court disposed of a petition by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator who questioned speaker CP Joshi’s alleged inaction over the merger of all six BSP MLAs in the state with the Congress last year.
The decision came hours after the speaker upheld the merger while responding to the complaint by BJP leader Madan Dilawar filed in March.
The move is a boost for the Ashok Gehlot led government which retains its tenuous majority in the house even as it fights a legal battle concerning the disqualification of a rebel group of 19 Congress lawmakers led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
In his petition, Dilawar said that the speaker declared the six BSP MLAs - Sandeep Yadav (Tijara), Wajib Ali (Nagar), Deepchand Kheria (Kisangarh Bas), LakhanMeena (Karauli) and Rajendra Gudha (Udaipurwati) - as having merged with the Congress on September 18, 2019. The move increased the Congress’s strength in the House.
He had petitioned the speaker on March 16, seeking disqualification of the BSP MLAs under the 10th schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection laws).
In 2008, too, six BSP lawmakers merged their party with the Congress in the assembly. Gehlot was the chief minister then.
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