The BJP’s argument of using “SMS” to issue a whip to its MPs to vote against the UPA government in the July 22 trust vote on the nuclear deal has been held untenable by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.The BJP urged Chatterjee to disqualify Surendranagar, Gujarat, MP Somabhai Gandalal Koli Patel, and seven other party MPs, who had voted for the UPA Government during the trust vote. Patel was suspended from the party way back in December 2007 for alleged “anti-party” activities and was not called for the July 19 meeting where a three-line whip was issued to vote out the UPA. The Speaker refused to disqualify Patel on the ground that the BJP failed to produce any proof of having issued a whip to the Surendranagar MP.“In a meeting with the Speaker on November 27, BJP chief whip Santosh Gangwar argued that he had issued me the whip by sending me an SMS. I told the Speaker that I am a non-Matriculate and am not familiar with even elementary English. I carry a mobile handset with inscriptions in Gujarati, which I duly showed to the Speaker. I would not have followed any SMS in English even if they had sent one,” Patel told The Sunday Express, speaking in Hindi.When contacted, Gangwar confirmed that party MPs had been sent an SMS. He said the problem could have arisen because Patel had not been attending party meetings after his suspension. “Maybe next time we’ll issue whips by registered post to our MPs,” he said.
