BJP to seek disqualification of 4 independent MLAs

SHIMLA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to file a petition before Speaker B B Butail seeking disqualification of independent MLAs who on Thursday had issued statement in favour of chief minister Virbhadra Singh and had described themselves as associate members of Congress. Leader of opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said that they were consulting senior lawyers on the issue.

On Thursday, four independent MLAs - Manohar Dhiman, Pawan Kajal, Kirnesh Jang and Balbir Verma - had first held a press conference to announce their support for chief minister Virbhadra Singh and later issued a written statement reiterating their support to him while attacking BJP leaders for personally targeting the chief minister. Now opposition BJP is claiming that by extending their support to Virbhadra Singh and Congress party, the independent MLAs have come under disqualification Act.

Dhumal on Friday said independent MLAs can lend outside support to the government and cannot share the platform of a political party or participate in its political activities. ?"It is not necessary that independent MLAs are considered members of the party only on filling up membership forms or paying the membership fee," he added. He said the action of the 4 independent MLAs shows their defection to Congress and invites their disqualification from the House. "Nowhere in the Act the word associate MLA been mentioned," he added.

Dhumal said the latest judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of disqualification of Haryana Janhit Congress MLAs says, "the Speaker will have to decide the case of disqualification in four months. After that matter could only be challenged in the court". He said the petition seeking disqualification of four MLAs would be filed before the Speaker in the current session itself.

Reacting on Dhumal's statement, independent MLAs Manohar Dhiman, Pawan Kajal, Kirnesh Jang and Balbir Singh Verma said they were prepared for any kind of action. In a joint press statement, they said that they stand by their words and had full faith in the leadership of Virbhadra Singh. They said any conspiracy to destabilize the state government would not be allowed to materialize and would suitably be opposed.

http://ift.tt/1pVYgDK Singh,Prem Kumar Dhumal,Congress,Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)