Jharkhand UPA leaders to meet President tomorrow

New Delhi, Mar 27 (UNI) Aiming to reduce the Arjun Munda government to a minority, a batch of 39 MPs, MLAs and office-bearers of parties in the United Progressive Alliance in Jharkhand will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam tomorrow, seeking disqualification of 14 ruling coalition MLAs they say hold ''offices of profit''.

According to UPA sources, they will call on the President at 0900 hrs tomorrow. While 35 UPA leaders arrived here from Ranchi by the Rajdhani Express early today, the rest were to reach later tonight, they said.

The UPA leaders had sought an appointment with the Election Commission also to press the demand, but the EC refused a meeting saying it cannot discuss the matter as it was quasi judicial in nature.

Proceedings before the Commission in cases referred to it by the Governor under Article 192(2) are quasi judicial in nature, the EC said in a letter to the UPA leaders who had sought an appointment in this regard.

Last week, a controversial Bill that sought to protect the NDA MLAs from possible disqualification was passed amid pandemonium in the Jharkhand Assembly.

The UPA had petitioned Governor Syed Sibte Razi not to approve it.

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