SP says Jaya will be fielded again, Amar offers to quit

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) Within hours of her disqualification, the Samajwadi Party today said it will again field Ms Jaya Bachchan for the Rajya Sabha, even as party general secretary Amar Singh, who also faces charges of holding an office of profit while being a member of the Upper House, offered to quit.

''The SP has got enough numbers to get her re-elected to the Rajya Sabha,'' Mr Singh told a crowded press conference here.

''The party accepts with all humility the decision of President (A P J Abdul Kalam) and the Election Commission, but wished they applied a similar criterion for other members like UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Dr Karan Singh who were in a similar situation as Ms Bachchan and myself,'' said Mr Singh who is facing EC notice for holding an office of profit -- chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Development Council.

''We respect both the institutions -- EC and President -- but still feel that it was the Congress which was behind the whole episode,'' said Mr Singh.

He also offerred to quit his Upper House membership.

''In fact I had already gone to the Rashtrapati Bhawan with my resignation letter, but in the meanwhile, I received a telephonic instruction from party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav not to do so without the permission of the SP Parliamentary Board,'' said Mr Singh.

''By offering to quit I want people like Sonia Gandhi and Karan Singh and many others, who are also holding office of profit, to follow suit and resign from their Parliament membership on moral ground.

''Being chairperson of the National Advisory Council, Ms Gandhi was holding an office of profit, and Dr Singh was chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Also Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was president of the Shanti Niketan. Mr Subbirami Reddy is chairman of the Tirupati Trust. The names and examples abound,'' said the SP leader.

Mr Singh said he was soon going to move an application to the Rashtrapati Bhawan under the Right to Information Act to know whether the President had taken similar action against other persons in similar cases and whether the Election Commission had made similar recommendations to him in such cases.

''We are collecting such cases from all states and will continue and intensify our campaign,'' he added.

More UNI NAZ AT KP2042

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