Four more MlAs of ruling JD(U) have been disqualified by the Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary on Saturday.
Not only their membership has been terminated, they would also not be entitled to the privileges for former MlAs, as per the order of the Speaker. The rebel MlAs have decided to challenge this order in the Patna High Court possibly in the first week of January when the court reopens. The MlAs whose membership terminated after trial are former Minister Ajit Kumar and Poonam Devi, Suresh Chanchal and Raju Kumar Singh. They had been charged for violating the party whip issued during the by-election to the Rajya Sabha seats in June, working against the official candidates and not only voting but also working as polling agents of the rival candidates.
Earlier on November 1, the Assembly Speaker had terminated the membership of four ruling party MlAs: Gyanendra Kumar Gyanu, Rahul Sharma, Ravindra Rai and Neeraj Singh Bablu on similar charges. Parliamentary Affairs Ministers and JD(U) chief whip in Assembly Shrawan Kumar had moved the court of the Assembly Speaker against the eight and pleaded that their membership be terminated and be disqualified to avail facilities extended to the former MlAs including pension.
The four MlAs who were disqualified early last month had challenged the verdict in the High Court but the order reserved its order on November 20. Gyanu, once a close confident of Nitish Kumar and was elected from Kumar’s previous constituency Barh, said the newly disqualified MlAs would challenge the Speaker’s order and hearing on their case would be held separately. “The Speaker’s order is only meant to throttle the democracy,” he alleged. “We will move not only the High Court but also the peoples’ court,” said disqualified MlAs Ajit Kumar and Suresh Chanchal who said that there was no internal democracy in JD(U) and anybody raising justified issues in the party are shown the door.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shrawan Kumar also hinted similar action against some other rebel JD(U) MlAs who indulged in anti-party activities. “The party is not going to tolerate indiscipline and those indulging in it will be taken to task,” he said. However, political circles are agog with reports that most of the rebel JD(U) MlAs were seriously contemplating to join the BJP and its ally lJP. The BJP has condemned the Speaker’s order but the RJD, which is cozying up with JD(U), has welcomed the decision.
With the disqualification of four more MlAs, the JD(U)’s strength in the Bihar Assembly has come down to 111 but seemingly there is no threat to the State JD(U) Government led by Jitan Ram Manjhi which is enjoying majority with the backing of the RJD and the Congress. The BJP has 88 members in the House followed by RJD (24), Congress (5), CPI(1) and Independents (5).