Former Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, who rebelled against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to align with the BJP in that state, has said that he would challenge his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.
At a press meet in New Delhi, Mr. Yadav said that he had been denied a fair hearing in the case and did not agree with the reasons for his expulsion put forward in Rajya Sabha Chairperson M. Venkaiah Naidu’s order. “I will not, however, use attacking language because the institution of the Rajya Sabha is too important for me to do that,” he said.
He noted that in the case of former Rajya Sabha MP and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who has been accused of “looting the public exchequer”, the matter of his expulsion had been sent to the Ethics Committee of Parliament, while Mr Yadav and his colleague Ali Namwar, who too has lost his membership, were not allowed a similar opportunity to provide their defence, despite being veteran parliamentarians who took up “people’s causes.”
Mr. Yadav said that Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab, who was hanged, was allowed to exhaust all appeals available to him but in his case the “Supreme Court”, an apparent reference to Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, gave an order straightaway without referring the matter to a parliamentary committee.
“I was not shocked that I have been disqualified... I was expecting this outcome,” he said. On a more jocular note, he said the expulsion would give him “freedom to unite Opposition parties against the BJP.”
Noting that he had resigned three times in the past as an MP on moral grounds, Mr. Yadav said had he been interested in power, he would have been part of the government now.
The constitutional provisions invoked by the Rajya Sabha Chairman to disqualify might not apply in his case, he said, noting that he would file an appeal against it in court.
“My fight is for principles and democracy. I will fight it in all forums, including court,” he said.
