Fearing expulsion fromthe Assembly over the disqualification petition filed by the BSP, former leader of Opposition Swamy Prasad Maurya, who recently joined the BJP, resigned from Vidhan Sabha.
“As I was elected as legislator on the BSP’s ticket and now I have joined the BJP, I am resigning from the Vidhan Sabha on moral grounds. I have sent my resignation to Speaker, Mata Prasad Pandey’s office on Friday morning,” Maurya told media persons in lucknow on Friday.
The Speaker was set to pronounce a judgement on the disqualification petition moved by the BSP on August 31. The Assembly secretariat had earlier issued notices to Maurya seeking his reply.
Present leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and BSP leader Gayacharan Dinker moved the petition under Article 191(2) of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution stating that Maurya's act proves that he has left the party on June 22 and hence his membership be disqualified from that day.
On June 22, Maurya had criticised BSP chief Mayawati and resigned as BSP general secretary. But when the party elected Gayacharan Dinker as the new leader of Opposition on June 25, Maurya opposed it and moved an application before the Speaker saying that calling a legislature Party meeting by Mayawati was illegal and he should be heard before according the approval to the new lOP. However, the Speaker rejected his application and ordered that Dinker will be the new leader of the Opposition in Assembly.
Incidentally, Maurya has skipped the on-going Monsoon session which commenced from August 22. Despite several other party hopping legislators who switched loyalties attending the House, Maurya preferred to give the on-going session a miss.
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