With responding to BJP high command's show cause notice on alleged cross voting in Legislative Council, the seven BJP 'tainted' MLAs today kept their replies all set on similar lines denied having cross voted against their party candidate. Baldev Sharma, MLA from Reasi and Master Lal Chand, MLA of Banni in a media briefing today released the copy of their replies to the show cause notices issued by the BJP high command to them on charge of cross-voting.
Sources said that the party leadership has made unsuccessful attempts to split the group of 'tainted' MLAs further by wooing two to three MLAs individually by offering them a clean chit if they abandon the group of seven to bring their targeted group within the ambit of anti-defection law.
Meanwhile, in a new development, Bharat Bhushan, another BJP MLA today took the matter of 'Show Cause Notice' issued by the President of Party's Central Disciplinary Action Committee (CDAC) to the local court of Sub-Judge, Jammu and got an interim instruction to CDAC to restrain from acting upon the impugned show cause notice dated 22.04.2011 till filing of objection by the disciplinary committee by 23rd May 2011.
The copies of the their replies released to the press revealed that both have suggested to the Party whip Ashok Khajuria for abstaining from the voting keeping in view the party strength of eleven MLAs in the house against minimum 26 MLAs required to ensure win of party's candidate in LC election. They said that this suggestion was given only to keep the flock together and also because Mr. Khajuria was spreading the word that there would be chance of cross voting by party MLAs.
Both the MLAs pointed out the absence of their whip from the important meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders at Circuit House which was briefed by the group of party MPs lead by BJP's former national president Mr. Raj Nath Singh. 'The said MLA was having a meeting over dinner with a former bureaucrat who was specially in the town to breach the BJP legislators bastion by mustering support of party MLAs,' the duo alleged.
"The proximity of Ashok Khajuria with the party which is beneficiary of cross voting is well known. It is not understandable as to how I am the one who is in the dock and Ashok Khajuria is treated as holy cow," Reasi MLA averred in his reply.
Baldev Sharma and Lal Chand both reiterated that they had voted in favour of the Party's candidate in Legislative Council election i.e. Thakur Ranjit Singh and there was no question of cross voting so far they are concerned for any consideration. They said, "We are pained to receive such a show cause notice accusing us of cross voting against party nominee thus questioning our integrity and loyalty to the party."
Lal Chand, in his reply, asked the party that he was suffering from cancer and instead of asking for his well being, allegations have been leveled against him that he has purportedly indulged in cross voting for some consideration.
They said that the party has not responded to their open offer of undergoing Narco Test or any Test with other four party MLAs.
"What shocked us more was that our party, in a hasty action, held us accused of such an act which we never did and without going deep into the conspiracy hatched by the beneficiaries with the help of one of our party's MLA well known for his close proximity with the ruling alliance.
"People of this region, so do we, failed to understand on what basis the party leadership arrived at who voted against the party candidate when it was a secret ballot and there was no question of showing the choice. Further any sort of showing the preference ticked in the vote would have invalidated the vote itself."
While the party felt embarrassed over the development, the duo said that they would not be mute spectators to machinations of others as their Image, integrity and long public life were at stake.
Sources said that the party leadership has made unsuccessful attempts to split the group of 'tainted' MLAs further by wooing two to three MLAs individually by offering them a clean chit if they abandon the group of seven to bring their targeted group within the ambit of anti-defection law.
Meanwhile, in a new development, Bharat Bhushan, another BJP MLA today took the matter of 'Show Cause Notice' issued by the President of Party's Central Disciplinary Action Committee (CDAC) to the local court of Sub-Judge, Jammu and got an interim instruction to CDAC to restrain from acting upon the impugned show cause notice dated 22.04.2011 till filing of objection by the disciplinary committee by 23rd May 2011.
The copies of the their replies released to the press revealed that both have suggested to the Party whip Ashok Khajuria for abstaining from the voting keeping in view the party strength of eleven MLAs in the house against minimum 26 MLAs required to ensure win of party's candidate in LC election. They said that this suggestion was given only to keep the flock together and also because Mr. Khajuria was spreading the word that there would be chance of cross voting by party MLAs.
Both the MLAs pointed out the absence of their whip from the important meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders at Circuit House which was briefed by the group of party MPs lead by BJP's former national president Mr. Raj Nath Singh. 'The said MLA was having a meeting over dinner with a former bureaucrat who was specially in the town to breach the BJP legislators bastion by mustering support of party MLAs,' the duo alleged.
"The proximity of Ashok Khajuria with the party which is beneficiary of cross voting is well known. It is not understandable as to how I am the one who is in the dock and Ashok Khajuria is treated as holy cow," Reasi MLA averred in his reply.
Baldev Sharma and Lal Chand both reiterated that they had voted in favour of the Party's candidate in Legislative Council election i.e. Thakur Ranjit Singh and there was no question of cross voting so far they are concerned for any consideration. They said, "We are pained to receive such a show cause notice accusing us of cross voting against party nominee thus questioning our integrity and loyalty to the party."
Lal Chand, in his reply, asked the party that he was suffering from cancer and instead of asking for his well being, allegations have been leveled against him that he has purportedly indulged in cross voting for some consideration.
They said that the party has not responded to their open offer of undergoing Narco Test or any Test with other four party MLAs.
"What shocked us more was that our party, in a hasty action, held us accused of such an act which we never did and without going deep into the conspiracy hatched by the beneficiaries with the help of one of our party's MLA well known for his close proximity with the ruling alliance.
"People of this region, so do we, failed to understand on what basis the party leadership arrived at who voted against the party candidate when it was a secret ballot and there was no question of showing the choice. Further any sort of showing the preference ticked in the vote would have invalidated the vote itself."
While the party felt embarrassed over the development, the duo said that they would not be mute spectators to machinations of others as their Image, integrity and long public life were at stake.
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