BJP seeks MLAs' heads for supporting Shibu

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi August 26, 2008

Jharkhand BJP has demanded the Assembly Speaker to immediately disqualify two of its suspended party MLAs -- Vishnu Bhaiya and Manohar Tekriwal -- who supported Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren in forming the Government in Jharkhand.

A delegation led by leader to Opposition in the Assembly Arjun Munda met Speaker Alamgir Alam and asked him to disqualify the MLAs under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. Munda also demanded that the duo should be debarred from taking part in the proceedings of the Assembly till the matter was finally decided.

Munda told The Pioneer the party submitted the supporting materials to assert that both of them were involved in anti-party activities ---- a ground enough for their disqualification. The party referred the decision of the Supreme Court in which the court in a case of similar nature, declined to give relief to Jainarayan Nishad, MP, Bihar.

To make its case stronger the party also cited the case of the Haryana Assembly where the Speaker had disqualified an MLA for defying the party line. About the other three suspended MLAs the party demanded the same action.

At a time when the BJP leaders were demanding their disqualification, both Vishnu Bhaiya and Tekriwal were present at the Governor House along with Shibu Soren, who had gone there along with 42 MLAs to stake claim for the formation of Government in Jharkhand. Reacting over it, Tekriwal said they would continue their support to Soren as per the call of their conscience irrespective to what BJP thinks.

In a further development, the State NDA held a meeting to draw the next line of action. A day back, BJP national vice-president Yaswant Sinha had asked Governor Syed Sibtey Razi to invite the BJP to explore the possibility of the formation of the Government. The party is learnt to have decided to hold agitation if the Governor fails to follow the constitutional norms.