BJP MLA Manish Asiza has resigned from the seven-member probe committee constituted by UP Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to inquire into the sting operation aired by a TV channel where two police officers reportedly claimed delaying action to contain the Muzaffarnagar riots under political pressure. Asiza,the only BJP member in the committee,sent his resignation to the Speaker on Thursday. In his letter,Asiza said that the role of a powerful minister of the state government has clearly appeared in the TV sting but that minister is still continuing on his constitutional post. I believe that when a person comes in the ambit of any inquiry,that person is not entitled to continue on his post till the inquiry is going on,irrespective of the importance of his post. In this situation,questions arise on the objective and impartiality of the parliamentary inquiry committee, Asiza said. Headed by SP MLA from Kalyanpur,Satish Kumar Nigam,the committee will submit its report before the sine die adjournment of the first assembly session of 2014. The committee has to examine the CD and other records besides collecting oral and other proof. Other members of the committee include Mohammad Irfan,Sangram Yadav and Brijlal Sonkar (all SP MLAs),Dilnawaz Khan of the Congress and Amar Pal Sharma of the BSP. The Speaker had issued orders for constitution of the probe committee after Leader of Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya and other members raised the issue in the Assembly on September 18,saying that allegations had been levelled against a senior minister and their authenticity should be verified. The committee has to examine the CD and other records besides collecting oral and other proof. BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai has opposed the decision of probe by a parliamentary committee because the accused is a member of the Cabinet. If the government was serious for an impartial inquiry,it should have requested the Press Council of India or a court to probe the matter, Bajpai said. Second BJP MLA is booked under NSA Muzaffarnagar: BJP MLA Suresh Rana,arrested in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots,was Thursday booked under National Security Act,taking the number of those held under the stringent law to 10. Rana is the second BJP MLA to be booked under NSA after Sangeet Som. A person can be detained under NSA for three months and he need not be produced in a court within 24 hours of his custody as required under the normal procedure. The maximum period of detention under NSA is 12 months. ENS
