GUWAHATI, April 2 � The Opposition parties of the State determined to ensure the disqualification of their 'deserter' MLAs from the membership of the State Legislature, following their roles in the recent Rajya Sabha (RS) elections. Meanwhile, public resentment over the defiance of party whips by these MLAs is also mounting in their respective constituencies, claimed the Opposition camp.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the first among the Opposition parties to move the Speaker of the State Assembly with a plea to disqualify its 'deserter' MLAs Dr Rumi Nath, Abhijit Hazarika, Kartik Sena Sinha and Sambhu Singh Mallah. The party moved the Speaker on March 28 with the plea to disqualify these MLAs under the provisions of the anit-defection legislation alleging that they had 'voluntarily given up' their original party, said BJP Legislature Party leader Mission Ranjan Das.
This was followed by a similar plea from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) to disqualify its MLAs Anowarul Haque and Rashul Haque on March 30. However, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is yet to move the Speaker with a similar plea to disqualify its 'deserter' MLA Abdhul Aziz.
According to AGP working president Phani Bhusan Choudhury, the party is going to move the Speaker with such a plea on Abdul Aziz before the ensuing Rongali Bihu. Aziz initially refused to receive the show cause notice served on him necessitating sending of the notice by post. However, the issues related to the suspension and expulsion of the MLA from the party are not in any way connected with the party's moving the Speaker with a plea to disqualify him, said Choudhury.
According to the anti-defection law, such pleas should be made within one month of the violation of the party whips. The Speaker then have to serve notices on the MLAs concerned asking for their written statements on the issues involved. After receiving the written statements from the MLAs concerned, the Speaker will go for framing the charges and then he will hear the evidences for and against the MLAs concerned.
The above three parties have already served show cause notices on their MLAs concerned on the issue of violation of the party whips.
The AIUDF is discussing the issue in its April 9 steering committee meeting, said party general secretary and spokesman Hafiz Basir Ahmed Qasimi.
