Mayawati to approach SC over Congress ‘stealing’ her MLAs

LUCKNOW/JAIPUR: BSP chief Mayawati said on Tuesday that her party has decided to “teach a lesson” to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for the “unconstitutional” merger of her MLAs with Congress in the state and will not hesitate to approach the Supreme Court in pursuit of the disqualification of the six legislators who had crossed over to the treasury benches last year.
The attack on Congress came on a day when BJP MLA Madan Dilawar filed two fresh petitions before the Rajasthan high court challenging the BSP-Congress merger in the state. On Monday, the HC had rejected his plea seeking direction to the assembly speaker to decide on his complaint against the merger of the six MLAs which had been pending since March. The court was informed on Monday that the speaker had already taken a decision on the complaint.
Attacking Gehlot for “stealing” her MLAs, and demanding imposition of President’s rule, Mayawati said there was a conspiracy against BSP in Rajasthan in which Gehlot was involved. Reminding the six MLAs of the whip issued by BSP to vote against Congress in the assembly, she said, “If the MLAs do not follow our directions, we will take the matter of their disqualification to the SC.”
In an apparent reference to Sachin Pilot’s revolt, calling Congress the “original thief”, she said, “Chori ka saamaan chori hone par shor macha rahe hain (They are screaming after what they stole has been stolen by someone else).” She asked why the Congress high command was quiet about the six BSP MLAs. She said BSP has taken a decision to oppose the Gehlot government after being “cheated by Congress multiple times”.
Meanwhile, the two petitions Dilawar filed on Tuesday have been listed for hearing on Wednesday. While the first challenges speaker C P Joshi’s decision to dismiss his complaint, the second challenges the BSP-Congress merger as a violation of the Constitution.
The BSP chief demanded imposition of President’s rule in Rajasthan, alleging a conspiracy against her party in the state in which CM Gehlot was involved.