E-Paper
Raj Bhawan sends communique to Speaker Vidhan Sabha
The communique to Speaker Vidhan Sabha informs him of the conduct of legislators for necessary action, reports Umesh Raghuvanshi.
Taking strong exception to the move of 21 MLAs who went to meet the Governor TV Rajeswar on Friday to express their solidarity with the Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav the Raj Bhawan has sent a communiqué to Speaker Vidhan Sabha Mata Prasad Pandey informing him of the conduct of legislators for necessary action.
Listing the names of the MLAs who met the Governor on Friday morning to express their solidarity with Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav the Raj Bhawan has attached copies of letters that 21 MLAs handed over to the Governor early in the day extending support to the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.
The Minister for Transport Naresh Agarwal and the Minister for Revenue Ambika Chaudhary led the 21 MLAs to Raj Bhawan and paraded them before the Governor to make the point that the Mulayam government would continue to command a comfortable majority in the House under any circumstances.
By sending the communiqué the Raj Bhawan has obviously tried to bring in to focus the anti defection laws under which action could be taken against the MLAs for switching over their loyalties.
Much significance is being attached to the Raj Bhawan's move as it is bound to spark off a debate over what may be termed effectiveness of anti defection laws in checking MLAs from switching over their loyalties at such crucial junctures.
Will the Speaker take note of the Raj Bhawan's communiqué and take action? This is the million-dollar question being asked in the corridors of power here.
The Speaker was not available for comments. Sources in Vidhan Sabha secretariat also said only the Speaker would be able to comment on the issue.
Besides the Raj Bhawan various political parties have also taken strong exception to the conduct of the MLAs and even questioned how these MLAs could meet the Governor and extend their support to the Mulayam government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party President Keshri Nath Tripathi said petitions seeking disqualification of the three BJP MLAs were already pending with the Speaker.
Moreover five MLAs who went to Raj Bhawan have been declared unattached and hence they could not associate themselves with any political party, he said.
The Jan Morcha President Raj Babbar also said the conduct of the MLAs was gross violation of constitutional provisions and made a mockery of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
This was also indicative of the panic that prevailed in the Samajwadi Party, he said adding that the fear of loss of power had tempted to carry out such unconstitutional measures before the constitutional head of the state.
The MLAs action was a frontal attack on the dignity and honour of the Governor, he said.
