Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh on Sunday said the party had moved a petition to the Rajya Sabha chairman seeking the disqualification of all seven MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who defected to the BJP.Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Delhi, Singh said, “Leading constitutional experts and senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal and P D T Achary, have made it clear that the membership of all seven MPs who chose to merge with the BJP after leaving the AAP is bound to be terminated.”The AAP MP claimed, “Even a Supreme Court lawyer associated with an NDA constituent stated during a media interaction on Saturday that the membership of these leaders would go in any case.”Singh alleged, “The BJP has perfected the politics of defections by using central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to intimidate opposition leaders before inducting them into its ranks.”He affirmed, “After consulting all experts and taking the opinion of Kapil Sibal, I have sent a petition to the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. In this petition, a request has been made that, under the provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, the membership of all these seven members should be terminated. I have demanded from the Vice President that this matter be heard at the earliest and that a just decision be delivered.“The AAP leader termed these defections as “betrayal of democracy”. “It is also a betrayal and treachery against the people of Punjab. Along with this, it is a betrayal of the Constitution of the country and an open mockery of it,” he added.“If a person is elected from one party and has differences, then he should resign from that party and go where his ideology aligns. But those who have been elected by the MLAs of that very party are today speaking against the same party. I am hopeful that the chairman will take an early decision on this petition and cancel their membership,” said Singh.“There are several judgments of the Supreme Court in this matter which clearly explain how their membership can be terminated. Apart from this, the 10th Schedule of the Constitution clearly states that the Constitution of India does not permit any such political defections,” said the AAP leader.Responding to concerns regarding prolonged legal proceedings, he said, “There are many such examples where court judgments have come. We can recall the cases of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, where the Supreme Court delivered its verdict following such political defections. Although the delay causes disappointment, we are ready to fight this legal battle. What is written in the Constitution will have to be followed by everyone, and it applies to all.“On seeking time to meet the President, Singh said, “There is a matter of ‘Right to Recall’, on which Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann will meet the President and present his views, for which time has been sought. The MLAs who elected these MPs have been betrayed. Now those MLAs are calling them back, saying that if they are unable to perform, they should resign.”MSID:: 130534881 413 |
