Tripathi for action against guilty MLAs

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker, Kesri Nath Tripathi, has said he is prepared to initiate criminal proceedings against...

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker, Kesri Nath Tripathi, has said he is prepared to initiate criminal proceedings against those MLAs involved in the violence that ensued in the House during the Kalyan Singh trust vote in October.“I am open to the idea of criminal action and will do whatever I deem necessary in the circumstances, including identifying the guilty MLAs,” Tripathi in an interview to TV channel NDTV today said.

“Already a judicial inquiry is on, but if necessary, it will be followed up by criminal action, he said. According to an NDTV press release, Tripathi would meet the Lok Sabha Speaker, P A Sangma, tomorrow to give an account of the incidents. “I am meeting Sangma on November 10 and will give full weight to his opinion. I agree with him (Sangma) that MLAs cannot behave in this manner”.

Last week, Sangma had asked the UP Speaker to explore the possibility of initiating criminal action against MLAs involved in the violence on the floor of the house during the confidence vote on October 22.

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Tripathi said the anti-defection law must be amended. “I feel that all defections, whether single or collective, must be banned. They are a blot on our democracy and the law must be changed,” he asserted. However, in the specific context of Uttar Pradesh, Tripathi said “defections which had taken place could not be deemed illegal at this stage. There are lacunae in the anti-defection laws, if political parties exploit them there is nothing a speaker can do". Referring to the application made by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, Mayawati, asking him to disqualify 12 BSP MLAs, Tripathi said the matter was under scrutiny.“The break-away BSP group has told me that they have 23 MLAs which are more than one-third the party strength in the House and therefore a split has taken place and not a defection,” he said.

The Speaker refuted the charge of partisanship. “I assure all parties that I will be guided only by the law and my conscience,” he impressed.

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