Some sensational barbs were exchanged before the Speaker Dinesh Oraon on Friday when he resumed hearing in the case related to defection of six JVM legislators to the BJP.
Former JVM general secretary Sunil Sahu, who has now parted ways from the party, appeared as one of the witnesses and dragged the meeting held between party supremo Babulal Marandi and BJP national president Amit Shah to drive home his point.
Sahu in his testimony said that Marandi had a closed door meeting with Shah to discuss their merger plan. “The merger of JVM into the BJP was being discussed and the JVM high command was aware about it. So, nothing surprising happened thereafter,” said Sahu after his cross examination taken place before the Speaker.
Arguing in favour of the six MlAs’ act, he added that there was a number of leaders who left the party from time to time and presented a whole list of deserters before the Assembly tribunal.
“He also in his statement recorded before the Speaker claimed that the six MlAs in question have switched directly to the BJP while the remaining two in the JVM are supporting the ruling party indirectly. We contradicted this claim made and have requested the Speaker for his reexamination. He is saying all this without any proof and just because he has left the party thereafter. The court has told us to submit application for reexamination which would be done,” said lawyer of the JVM Raj Nandan Sahay.
The six legislators in question, who got elected on JVM’s ticket, had after the Assembly polls in 2015 crossed over and joined the ruling BJP. This left the Babulal Marandi-led party with only two legislators in the form of Pradeep Yadav and Prakash Ram.
The matter is being heard by the Speaker since then as the party is of the view that the change of colour attracts provisions of the anti-defection law and the Assembly membership of the MlAs should be scrapped. Notably, Sunil Sahu was the last witness to be cross examined in the case.