Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann informed on Wednesday that he is scheduled to meet President Draupadi Murmu on May 5 in connection with the merger of seven AAP MPs in Rajya Sabha with the BJP. Mann had earlier sought an appointment with the President for a meeting along with party MLAs to demand “recall” of the state’s Rajya Sabha MPs who joined the BJP.Replying to a question, Mann said the appointment was of 12pm. “I will definitely go,” he said. When questioned if there was a legal provision for such a recall, the CM maintained he would “go and have a talk with the President”. On April 24, AAP MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Rajinder Gupta, and Swati Maliwal announced their move to the BJP. The defectors framed the transition as a “merger” under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which required a two-thirds majority of a party’s legislative group to avoid disqualification. While legal experts note there is no constitutional provision for an explicit “recall” mechanism in current parliamentary law, the proposed meeting is seen as a concerted effort by AAP to challenge the defections. Party sources had earlier indicated that Mann will be accompanied by a delegation of AAP MLAs from Punjab, who constitute the original electorate responsible for electing the state’s Rajya Sabha representatives. The meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan follows Mann’s request for an audience to address what he viewed as a violation of the legislative mandate by the defecting lawmakers. Responding to BJP leader Ashwani Sharma objecting to his dubbing of defecting MPs as “gaddar” as leaders switch parties, Mann said, “Those who misused people’s mandate will obviously be called gaddar.” To another question whether he will undertake a ‘Shukrana Yatra’ for the passage of the anti-sacrilege bill, Mann said, “No plan has yet been made in this regard.” BOX: FROM THE CM’S MOUTH‘11 Punjabis deported from Australia’Mann said 15 Indians, including 11 from Punjab, were being deported from Australia. Two of them are from Telangana and one each from Haryana and Uttarakhand. Out of 11 from Punjab, one is a woman, said Mann. “We will receive them at the Delhi airport,” he said. When asked about their deportation, Mann said they were facing criminal cases in Australia. “If you break the law there, this would happen. They will deport you. Our people should also introspect (about their conduct),” he said. ‘No space crunch for foodgrains’On shortage of space for foodgrains in the state, Mann said after his meeting with Pralhad Joshi, Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, 290 special trains were run to move out stocks from the state. “It will create adequate space for paddy procurement later this year and there will be no shortage of space,” he said.‘Routine meeting in Jalandhar’To a question about MLAs and functionaries attending a meeting chaired by AAP state in-charge Manish Sisodia in Jalandhar, Mann said it was a meeting of party’s observers. “Such meetings of the party organisation keep happening. I am not even going there,” he said.‘Probe on in rail track blast’ Asked about the blast on a freight rail track in Patiala on Monday night, Mann said police teams were in touch with central teams as well. Police already arrested four persons in this regard, he said. “Further probe is underway to avert such incidents in future.”MSID:: 130607882 413 |
