Lalu demands resignation of Bihar Speaker

Patna, Feb 22 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has demanded resignation of Bihar assembly speaker Udai Narayan Choudhry for violating constitutional norms by participating in a political rally along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and openly praising the work done by the government for dalits welfare.

Prasad claimed the Speaker of the House must maintain his neutrality and cannot be seen sharing a political stage with a political outfit.

Prasad said, "He was justifying the dance as part of his election campaign, he must be removed at once. This has not only spoilt Bihar's image but also that of politicians."

"It is written in the Constitution of India that when a person holds the post of Speaker of any house, he or she ceases to be the member of any political party and remains neutral for all the political parties," added Prasad.

Meanwhile, former Chief Justice of India VN Khare has called for the speaker's resignation for undermining well-established political norms.

Khare said, "When a person becomes a speaker of the House he is a speaker of all the political parties, he is supposed to be impartial, neutral, fair to all political parties. In pithy substance, his relation with the political party of which he is a nominee is snapped."

"The propriety demands that he should not indulge in the affairs of that political party of which he was a nominee," added Khare.

However, Nitish Kumar said the rally was meant for the deprived sections of the society, a section for which Mahatma Gandhi also fought once upon a time.

The month-long budget session of the Bihar assembly that begins today is likely to commence on a stormy note with the opposition all set to corner the government on many issues, including the demand for the resignation of speaker Udai Narayan Choudhry for openly speaking in favour of the government at a Janata Dal-United (JD-U) sponsored Mahadalit rally.

Choudhry was seen sharing the platform with Nitish Kumar and deputy Speaker Sushil Modi at a rally for Dalits on Sunday, where he raised slogans for Kumar and praised the work done by his government. (ANI)