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All 37 MLAs disqualified: Mayawati

Special Correspondent

Many parties seek Govt. dismissal

Photo: Subir Roy

BSP chief Mayawati addressing a press conference in Lucknow on Thursday.

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday said that the Supreme Court by allowing her party's writ petition - filed in the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court - seeking disqualification of 37 defector MLAs left no doubt that all the legislators had lost their membership of the Assembly.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgment, Ms. Mayawati accused the Samajwadi Party of misleading the media by stating that only 13 MLAs had been disqualified.

Addressing a press conference, the former Chief Minister said the inception of the Mulayam Government was invalid, and added that he should have resigned on moral grounds. The BSP president said that if the Chief Minister did not resign then he would meet the fate of 1995 when his Government was dismissed by the then Governor (Motilal Vora).

Ms.Mayawati said that from Para 53 of the judgment it was clear that while 13 MLAs had been disqualified with effect from August 27, 2003, the remaining 24 breakaway MLAs were disqualified from September 6, 2003. She said their disqualification plea was taken in the BSP writ petition.

A memorandum submitted to the Governor, T.V. Rajeswar, by the leader of the BSP Legislature Party, Swami Prasad Maurya, demanded dismissal of the Mulayam Government.

The memorandum said the salaries and allowances paid to the Ministers from among the defector MLAs should be recovered with penalty, and all the policy decisions of the Government should be reviewed as its formation was illegal.

BSP general secretary and party's counsel Satish Chandra Mishra said there was no scope for a floor test now as the facts of this case were different from the Bommai case. He expressed optimism that the apex court's verdict would be implemented.

Earlier, a Congress delegation led by PCC president Salman Khurshid met the Governor and handed over a memorandum urging appropriate steps to save UP "from the continuing oppression of an illegal government".

Talking to newsmen, Mr. Khurshid said the Supreme Court verdict had made it clear that the formation of the present Government was illegal, and hence it should be dismissed. He said the 13 MLAs stood disqualified with effect from August 27, 2003, without whose support Mr. Yadav would not have been able to get the magic number of 202 as majority.

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All 37 MLAs disqualified: Mayawati

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