GUWAHATI, June 7 – The Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Prithibi Majhi, today reserved his ruling on the prayer of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) for disqualification of two legislators – Ali Akbar Mian and Abdul Jabbar. The AGP filed a petition for disqualification of the two legislators for disobeying the three-line whip of the party in the last Rajya Sabha polls for two seats from Assam.
The Chief Whip of the AGP Legislature Party Hitendra Nath Goswami told this correspondent today that the Speaker today heard both sides and kept his ruling on the issue reserved. “We are waiting for the ruling of the Speaker but there is no question of taking back the legislators into the party fold again,” Goswami said.
Commenting on the allegation that the AGP failed to file the petition for disqualification of the two legislators to the Speaker on time, Goswami said that the Form II under the provisions of the Disqualification of the Members Rule of the Assam Legislative Assembly should be filed within 30 days, but the Speaker has the authority to condone the delay. He said that the AGP today requested the Speaker to condone the delay and hear the main petition on its merit.
The AGP Chief Whip said that the delay in filing of the Form was not intentional as alleged by certain sections. He pointed out that the AGP issued show cause notices to Mian and Jabbar immediately after their refusal to accept the party whip. But a decision on disqualification of two legislators should be taken by the executive committee of the party and the AGP was in no position to hold the executive meeting in view of the general elections. The party held the executive meeting immediately after the Lok Sabha polls and filed the petition to the Speaker praying for the disqualification of Mian and Jabbar. It may be mentioned here that Mian and Jabbar refused to follow the party whip and failed to turn up to cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha polls on March 26, which resulted in the defeat of the AGP candidate Birendra Prasad Baishya in the polls.