New Delhi: In a major setback to Congress in two consecutive days, three more of the party’s Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from Gujarat yesterday submitted their resignations to the Assembly Speaker.
A day after three MLAs — Balwantsinh Rajput, Tejashree Patel and Prahlad Patel — quit the party to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress MLAs Ramsinh Parmar, Mansingh Chouhan and Chhanabhai Chaudhary resigned yesterday, dealing another blow to Congress ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) elections.
“I have received the resignation of five Members of the Legislative Assembly so far,” Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Ramanlal Vora told media.
Parmar, however, clarified that he would not join BJP. According to sources, another MLA, CK Raolji, is also likely to resign.
Another Congress legislator Raghavji Patel said he was also planning to quit and join BJP.
“I also want to go to BJP and there are five others who are also preparing for it. We are really frustrated with the Congress. Nobody in the party listened to our voice and took note of our aspirations,” Patel said.
The exit of six MLAs, which comes just months ahead of Gujarat legislative assembly elections due in December, has reduced Congress’s tally to 52 in the 182-seat assembly.
The resignations also spell trouble for Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel who is seeking a fifth term in Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
Hours after three MLAs joined BJP on Thursday, one of them — Balwantsinh Rajput — was named the party’s third Rajya Sabha candidate. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and BJP national president Amit Shah are other two candidates fielded by the party.
Meanwhile, Congress yesterday created an uproar in Parliament, alleging that Gujarat police had “abducted” its MLAs to help BJP candidates win Rajya Sabha polls.
Senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad said that some police officers were being used by BJP to “steal Congress MLAs” in Gujarat.
“You are stealing MLAs by using the police. You should be ashamed. The Speaker has to protect the Constitution. Voters are being kidnapped, where do we go?” he said.
Congress leader Anand Sharma also levelled the same allegation against the BJP.
“BJP is stealing our MLAs. It must be guaranteed that the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha are free and fair and MLAs are released,” he said in Rajya Sabha.
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien said the Chair had nothing to do with elections.
“If what has been narrated has happened, solution lies elsewhere. You can approach police, you can approach Election Commission and seek remedy. I have no remedy for this,” he said.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also suggested the Congress leaders approach the Election Commission for redressal of their grievance.
“If you have a complaint, you should go to Election Commission. Rajya Sabha is not the place to protest. Congress is not able to keep its house in order,” Naqvi said.
