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Five MLAs oppose notice, say LBD a "non-existent'' outfit

Speaker asks legislators to submit replies; Counsel quotes Pandey's affidavit in Supreme Court

LUCKNOW: Opposing notices for their disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, five MLAs -- who had rejoined the BSP on March 1, 2006 - on Tuesday claimed that Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal (LBD) was a ``non-existent'' outfit as the Speaker was yet to recognise it.

The five MLAs had opposed the notices served on them by Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to disqualify them from the House for defying the LBD whip during the just-concluded Rajya Sabha polls.

Hearing inconclusive

The hearing, which remained inconclusive, would continue on Wednesday and the five MLAs have been asked to submit replies to the notices by Wednesday noon. Opposing the petition, counsel for MLA Ramkrishna, Raghevendra Singh pleaded that as the High Court had quashed the orders of the Speaker dated September 6 and 8, 2003, there was no existence of the LBD.

``How can a notice be served when the party is not in existence,'' he argued.

Anurag Singh, counsel of another MLA Dharampur, read out the affidavit given by the Speaker before the Supreme Court, where he said he was yet to decide on the fresh LBD recognition.

He also questioned there was no document to prove that the petition by the LBD chief whip had legal sanctity.

Although the MLAs' counsels were demanding more time to file replies, the Speaker asked them to submit their preliminary objections by Wednesday.

The five MLAs -- Jaiveer Singh, Surendra Vikram Singh, Dharampal, Ramji Shukla and Ramkrishna -- rejoined the BSP leaving the ruling Samajwadi Party on March 1, 2006, after the Allahabad High Court quashed the Speaker's earlier ruling of split and merger on February 28.

Vote against SP nominee

The five had voted against the SP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls after which the LBD -- backed by the SP -- had pleaded for their disqualification.

UNI

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