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Four HJC MLAs join hands with Congress Chandigarh, November 9 The four (HJC) MLAs, Narender Singh from Narnaul, Satpal Sangwan from Dadri, Venod Bhyana from Hansi and Zile Ram Chochra from Assandh, today wrote to Haryana Assembly Speaker HS Chatha that they had decided to merge with the Congress. They also personally appeared before Chatha to request him to approve their merger with the Congress. Their request was expeditiously granted by Chatha. In his one-page order, Chatha said after confirming that the HJC MLAs had decided to merge with the Congress out of their free will, as well as receiving confirmation from Leader of Congress Legislature Party Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana that the party had accepted the proposal, he was allowing the merger. Chatha said he was satisfied that the merger was as per the provisions of the anti-defection law. The Congress, which had won 40 seats, now has 44 members in a House of 89, as one seat, Ellenabad, is vacant. It is still short of the majority by two members. However, it has the support of seven Independents, who all have been accommodated in the Hooda ministry. After the merger, Mullana said all the four MLAs had been a part of the Congress and they had reposed their faith in policies of the Congress. Welcoming the four in the Congress, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said they had expressed their desire to merge with the Congress unconditionally. Chochra said five HJC MLAs had told Bishnoi immediately after the election results were out on October 22 that he should either merge the party with the Congress or support its government. But, he alleged, Bishnoi had been playing games with them. Hence, the four of them decided to merge with the Congress. He said he had acted to ensure the development of the state as well as his constituency, Assandh, which had been reserved since long and had remained Narender Singh said he and his colleagues had decided to merge with the Congress so that the state could get a stable government and those who wanted to “loot” it could be kept away from power. Sangwan said they had categorically told Bishnoi to join hands with the Congress. But, he alleged, the HJC chief started “negotiating” with Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD also. Can the four vacant berths in the Cabinet be filled now? Sources in the Congress say not immediately. In a late night development,another HJC MLA Dharam Singh Chhokkar from Samalkha sent a fax to the Haryana Speaker stating that he too endorsed the decision of his four colleagues to merge with the Congress.He is believed to have written that he could not attend the meeting of the HJC Legislature Party held in Chandigarh early in the day due to certain reasons, but he endorsed the decision of his colleagues. Hence, the Speaker should also approve his merger with the Congress. Now the Speaker would call Chhakkar to appear before him personally to ascertain if he had sent the fax and was it out of his free will. Only then the Speaker would take a decision on his fax message. Legal experts say under para 4 of the 10th Schedule (anti-defection law) of the Constitution of India, if two-third MLAs of a party decide to merge with another party, the remaining members have the option to go with them or remain in their original party or form another party. Bishnoi expels Sangwan
HJC president Kuldeep Bishnoi reacted by releasing a letter written by him to the Election Commission of India and the Haryana Speaker on Sunday that he had expelled Sangwan from the primary membership of the HJC and, therefore, he should be disqualified from the membership of the state Assembly.
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