No financial recovery from disqualified UP MLAs

Lucknow, Feb 15(UNI) Eleven of the 13 disqualified MLAs are expected to meet Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav this evening to discuss the political fallout of the Supreme Court directive to disqualify them for defecting to Samajwadi Party from the Bahujan Samaj Party in August, 2003.

All eyes are set on the future of the rest 20 MLAs of the Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal(LBD) who can be also disqualified as their number was well under the one-third majority on September 6, 2003. The 13 MLAs have been disqualified with retrospective effect from August 27,2003.

Though the SC verdict was based on 'technical' grounds and no financial obligations were involved including recovery, the disqualification might lead to certain constitutional difficulties as the disqualified MLAs as ministers of the state were part of several policy decisions of the government.

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has categorically said the Ministers and Chairmen of the corporations among the 13 disqualified MLAs would not resign from their posts.

The Chief Minister also termed the MLAs as 'martyrs' and said his government will always safeguard the interest of these legislators.

On the other hand, the opposition mainly Congress and BSP have stepped up its efforts demanding resignation of the Samajwadi Party led government following the judgement.

However, Minister of State for Science and Technology Rajendra Singh Rana, one of the disqualified MLAs, said they were yet to receive the copy of the judgement and after going through it they can react.

''We will meet the Chief Minister this evening to chalk out our strategy for the future and discuss in detail for the next Assembly sitting on February 26,'' he said.

The Minister said they will take their step on the directions of the Chief Minister.

The 13 MLAs who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court are: Rajendra Singh Rana, Virendra Singh Bundela, Jaiveer Singh, Yogesh Pratap Singh, Shailendra Yadav, Jai Prakash Yadav, Brijendra Pratap Singh, Rajendra Singh Chauhan, Rajpal Tyagi, Surendra Vikram Singh, Kazim Ali Khan, Dinesh Singh and Qutub-ud-din Ansari.

Jaiveer Singh and Surendra Vikram Singh had been disqualified by the Speaker on June 10 last year as they rejoined the BSP after the Allahabad High Court decision on February 28,2006. But the Supreme Court had earlier stayed their disqualification along with three other members.

Among the disqualified MLAs -- Rajendra Singh Rana,Yogesh Pratap Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav, Rajpal Tyagi,Kazim Ali Khan and Dinesh Singh are Ministers in the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government, while the rest are chairpersons of different corporations in the state.

UNI