Samajwadi Party dissident and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and Rampur MP Jayaprada were expelled from the party on Tuesday for indulging in activities inimical to its political interests and damaging its image.
Four MLAs, Sandeep Agarwal, Madan Chauhan, Sarvesh Singh and Ashok Chandel, who supported them, were placed under suspension. The party leadership would institute an inquiry into their activities before taking further action against them.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the newly constituted parliamentary board here. Party president Mulayam Singh and other office-bearers attended it.
No action was taken against Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, as the parliamentary board felt that she had said nothing against the party, and her family ties with Mr. Amar Singh did not impinge on her loyalty to the party.
As for Abu Asim Azmi, the meeting said he was in the party and denied the propaganda that he had supported Mr. Amar Singh, who resigned from all party posts on January 6. The parliamentary board did not take note of the resignation of Sanjay Dutt as general secretary in support of Mr. Amar Singh.
Talking to reporters here, general secretary and spokesman Mohan Singh termed the expulsion of Mr. Amar Singh and Ms. Jayaprada “corrective surgery.”
Mr. Mohan Singh blamed Mr. Amar Singh and Ms. Jayaprada for what he called the infiltration into the party of capitalist and communal forces, which threatened to derail it from its Samajwadi moorings and damage its secular character. He also charged Mr. Amar Singh with pursuing casteist politics: while the Samajwadi Party followed the policy of “jaati-todo” (casteless), Mr. Amar Singh was promoting “jaati-pakdo” politics.
He said the parliamentary board had taken a serious view of the formation of the Lok Manch by Mr. Amar Singh and felt it amounted to the formation of a separate party.
Mr. Mohan Singh referred to Ms. Jayaprada’s press conference in New Delhi on Sunday, at which she allegedly made some indecent remarks against the leadership. He accused her of making statements in favour of the former Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh. This, he said, had shown that communal forces had infiltrated the party. No leader had the right to publicly voice his or her opinion against the party.
As for their membership of Parliament, Mr. Mohan Singh said legal opinion would be sought and petitions would be presented to the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
