Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj petitions Bihar legislative council chief to disqualify Independent MLCs who 'joined' BJP

Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party on Monday petitioned the chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council for the disqualification of two MLCs who admitted to having joined the BJP days after getting elected as Independents.

A party delegation comprising senior leaders and former legislators Kishor Kumar Munna and Rambali Singh Chandravanshi, along with their counsel Partha Sarathi, called on Chairman Ram Bachan Rai, armed with the petition and other relevant documents.

Later, Munna told reporters, "We have sought the disqualification of MLCs Bansidhar Brajwasi and Rahul Raj, who last week got elected from Tirhut Graduates' and Saran Teachers' seats, respectively, and joined the BJP after less than 72 hours."

"Their act is a clear violation of the provisions of Article 191 of the Constitution, which pertains to disqualification of members of state legislatures. We have appended to our petition the affidavits filed by both MLCs which clearly stated that they were contesting the elections as Independent candidates, and the video footage and media reports related to their induction into the BJP," the Jan Suraaj Party leader said.

Interestingly, even as the two MLCs admitted to having joined the BJP and posed for photographs carrying their membership slips and wearing the trademark saffron gamchas with images of the lotus printed on them, spokespersons of the party have been trying to defuse the crisis with the claim "they have not joined us, but extended their support".

Munna, however, charged the ruling party with "rape of democracy" and claimed, "The prediction of Prashant Kishor is coming true. The BJP is out to destroy the JD(U), its old alliance partner, which has grown weak since Nitish Kumar gave up the post of the chief minister."

He pointed out that both Brajwasi and Raj got elected from their respective seats by defeating candidates of the JD(U), which had contested four seats in the recently held biennial polls to the Upper House, but bagged only one, while the BJP won two despite fielding candidates in as many constituencies as its ally.

Partha Sarathi, who spoke to PTI Videos, said, "We have submitted before the honourable chairman the fact that if Article 191 is read together with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, it will be clear that both MLCs deserve to be disqualified. We got a patient hearing, and the chairman has assured us that he will act in accordance with the advice of his legal officers."

On Sunday, Jan Suraaj Party national spokesperson Kumar Saurabh had told a press conference, "If the chairman fails to decide the matter within three months, as mandated by the Supreme Court in orders related to similar matters, we shall move the apex court."