Uttarakhand Speaker issues notices to rebel Congress MLAs

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip and aligning with opposition BJP.

Main opposition BJP has meanwhile claimed that 35 MLAs including 26 from BJP and nine from Congress had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly.

The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by March 26 evening.

However, Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker and he should quit his post.

Rebel Congress MLA from Narendra Nagar and a staunch Bahuguna loyalist Subodh Uniyal questioned the justification of the notices by a Speaker "who had lost the confidence of the majority of MLAs for his "failure to act impartially" by not allowing a division of votes on the budget in the House.

Facing a political crisis, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat yesterday got a breather with Governor Krishna Kant Paul asking him to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28.