SP MLA suspended for defying party whip

Bhopal, Apr 1 (UNI) Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh today announced that party legislator Vijay Bahadur Singh Bundela has been suspended for not following the party whip to fill three seats from Madhya Pradesh during the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Singh told reporters here that Mr Bundela has been suspended for not voting in favour of Congress-supported independent candidate Vivek Tankha.

A recommendation has been made by the state party unit to expel him from the primary membership of the party. He would present the recommendation before SP President Amar Singh.

On whether Mr Bundela's suspension would be revoked as party legislator Kishor Samrite's suspension was done, he said both were utterly different matters. Mr Samrite corrected his mistake in time and voted for Mr Tankha but Mr Bundela voted in favour of BJP candidate.

Describing it as a political suicide, Mr Singh said no individual was bigger than the party and cited examples of Mr Balraj Madhok, Ms Uma Bharti, Mr Keshubhai Patel and Mr Beni Prasad Verma. He said even he was not bigger than the party.

UNI SD-PS LS DB2304