UP Speaker yet to receive resignations of Cong, BSP MLAs

Lucknow, Mar 12 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey is yet to receive the resignations of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress MLAs who had handed over their resignations to their respective party presidents last month.

The matter was raised by Lakshmikant Bajpai (BJP in the assembly today. Except for BJP, no other opposition party -- BSP, Congress and RLD -- were present in the House.

On being informed by the Chair that the Speaker was yet to receive their resignations, Mr Bajpai termed the move of BSP and Congress as a political stunt. BSP's R K Singh Patel, who this morning joined the Samajwadi Party, claimed that BSP MLAs were made to tender their resignations as legislators to party president Mayawati in a format which was not in accordance with assembly rules.

BSP MLAs had tendered their resignations to protest the continuation of Mulayam Singh Yadav government after the February 14 Supreme Court ruling disqualifying 13 of the 40 MLAs who had left BSP to join SP. Congress MLAs had addressed their resignations to AICC president Sonia Gandhi after the term of the 14th assembly ended last month.

The RLD, too, is not attending the House to protest the continuation of the state government after the SC ruling.

UNI