TDP seeks disqualification of Sonia and three other RS members

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Close on the heels of disqualification of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan from the Rajya Sabha membership, Telugu Desam Party MPs today petitioned President A P J Abdul Kalam seeking disqualification of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her party's three other MPs for holding offices of profit.

In their petition submitted to the President and the Election Commission of India, the MPs submitted that Mrs Gandhi, Dr Karan Singh, Mr T Subbarami Reddy and Ms Kapila Vatsayan were holding offices of profit. Although they did not specify the offices of profits held by Mrs Gandhi, Dr Singh and Ms Vatsayan, the leaders said Ms Vatsayan was already holding an office of profit when her name was sent for President's approval and subsequent nomination as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

With this, the TDP has joined the Opposition bandwagon demanding the scalp of Mrs Gandhi for occupying the post of Chairmanship of Rajeev Gandhi Foundation, Dr Singh, the Indian Council for Social Sciences Research and Mr Reddy for holding the Chairmanship of Tirumala Tirupati Management Trust.

The signatories to the petition include TDP Parliamentary Party leader K Yerran Naidu and Mr R Chandrasekhar Reddy.

In another petition, the TDP leaders complained to the Election Commission that large-scale irregularities were committed in the revision of the voters list as required under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 under the instructions by the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh. They alleged that the Registration Office in the state was not respecting the rules and taking its own decision colluding with the local ruling party leaders. They are not even acting on the objections filed, a serious violation of law in places like Kadapa, Kurnool, Karimnagar and Guntur, they said. In Patur village in Nellor district, the authorities included numerous ruling party voters while 300 requests of TDP were not even considered.

''This is nothing but dereliction of duties,'' the TDP MPs said demanding deputation of a special officer to inquire into the malpractices and violations.

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