SP alleges 'pre-emergency' like situation in India

Lucknow, Mar 23: The Samajwadi Party (SP) today (Mar 23, 2006) alleged that a pre-emergency like situation prevailed in the country following the dictatorial attitude of the Congress and announced to oppose the proposed Ordinance to save Sonia Gandhi from losing her Lok Sabha membership.

The SP also said that party MP Amar Singh will not resign from Rajya Sabha, as announced by him earlier.

The decision to this respect was taken in the SP Parliamentary Board meeting here this morning.

Briefing mediapersons about the outcome of the meeting, SP Parliamentary Board leader and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said the situation in the country was similar to that during pre-emergency period.

Opposing the proposed Ordinance to safeguard the parliamentary membership of AICC president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders from attracting the clause of holding ''a post of profit'' by any MP, Mr Yadav said breaking all traditions, the government was going for the ordinance, even when it could have brought a bill in Parliament, taking the opposition in to confidence.

''It is unfortunate that a 145-member Congress was adopting dictatorial attitude and it certainly reminds the people about the pre-emergency period'', he added.

Though, admitting that the party might have had to support the Congress if the Bill instead of the Ordinance was introduced, he said it clearly shows that the Congress leaders can go to any extent for their vested interest. ''Congress was afraid that EC might take the decision on Ms Gandhi and others very soon, hence it is going for the ordinance,'' he claimed.

Raising the issue of the disqualification of Jaya Bacchhan from the Rajya Sabha on similar grounds and Election Commission issuing notice to Mr Amar Singh over the same matter, the SP general secretary maitained that Congress was now caught in its own trap.

On the passage of a bill over the same issue in the UP legislature Mr Yadav said the Congress should have taken a leaf out of the state, where the government had gone for a bill and not an ordinance.

UNI

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