UP: Speaker rejects Congress plea to disqualify its two MLAs

LUCKNOW: Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit on Monday rejected UP Congress's plea to disqualify their two MLAs Aditi Singh from Rae Bareli Sadar and Rakesh Singh from Harchandapur stating that it 'lacked substance'. The two would now remain the members of the UP legislative assembly though Congress said that it would move the high court against the decision.
The Congress had accused Rakesh Singh of indulging in anti-party activities by campaigning for his brother Dinesh Singh, who had challenged Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2019 general elections from her traditional Rae Bareli constituency. Both Rakesh Singh and Dinesh Singh, who are technically with the Congress, faced charges of extending support to the BJP. Dinesh Singh is still a Congress MLC and is facing a petition seeking his disqualification from Legislative Council.
To substantiate its petition, the Congress had produced a photo showing a car owned by Rakesh Singh parked at a BJP rally venue in Rae Bareli. An official entry pass of the rebel Congress MLA for getting entry into Vidhan Bhawan was also clearly visible on its windscreen.
‘Rakesh’s presence at BJP rally didn’t prove he attended it’
Besides, the Congress state leadership had also produced video footage as evidence against Rakesh Singh in which he was shown attending a BJP rally which was to be addressed by his brother Dinesh Singh.
In his verdict, the Speaker rejected both the evidences, stating in his order that it was true that the car owned by Rakesh Singh was parked at the BJP rally venue, but as Rakesh Singh was not seen in the car it cannot be proved that he himself used the vehicle for campaigning purpose. “Rakesh Singh had parked his car near the BJP rally venue, but it might be possible that he had gone somewhere else after parking his car there,” the Speaker said, rejecting the first argument of the Congress.
On the second charge that Rakesh Singh had attended a BJP rally, the Speaker said that Rakesh was spotted at the BJP rally, but that did not prove that he was there to attend it. In the video footage neither he was shown as addressing the rally nor anybody else was seen doing so. It could be possible that Rakesh Singh had gone there to meet somebody. On this weak submission, an MLA elected by thousands of people could not be disqualified, Dikshit added.
Meanwhile, in the Aditi Singh case, the Congress argued before the Speaker that she be disqualified because she had attended a special session convened by the Yogi government despite the party’s whip for its MLAs directing them not to attend it.
In his verdict, the Speaker announced that the provision of disqualification for violation of the whip issued by the party did not apply in her case as “neither Aditi Singh violated any party line nor policy because the special session was called on October 2-3 to commemorate the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary and to fulfill the SDG (sustainable development goals) on the directions of United Nations. In fact she propagated the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi in the House accepted by the entire nation and strongly advocated for his ideology and development. “Can anyone be disqualified simply for advocating for the development in the House,” questioned the Speaker in his judgment while rejecting the petition. In his verdict, the Speaker also stated that the whip issued by the Congress leadership had simply talked about boycotting the special session without explaining on what ground and why.
Congress legislature party leader Aradhna Mishra said that her party would challenge the Speaker's decision in high court.