New Delhi, September 12
Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee has disqualified Kuldeep Bishnoi, MP from Bhiwani and Jai Prakash, a Samajwadi Party MP from Mohanlal Ganj in UP, from the membership of the Lok Sabha.
Both have been disqualified under the 10th schedule of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha secretariat said here tonight. The 10th schedule deals with the anti-defection law. In case of Bishnoi, it was long known that he would face the axe. He had formed his own party, the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), along with his father, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. Rather the HJC even fielded candidates in the just concluded byelection in Haryana. Bhajan Lal even retained his traditional seat of Adampur.
The voting in Parliament during the trust vote on the nuclear deal in the last week of July was the proverbial last straw as Bishnoi voted against the Congress.
The term of the 14th Lok Sabha ends in May next year. A byelections in all probability is ruled out, said sources while adding that the elections would be held on the vacated seat along with the general elections. In case of Jai Prakash, who represents a reserved constituency, had openly voiced his reservations when the Mulayam Singh-led SP had offered support to the Congress. His party, the SP, initiated proceedings.
