CHANDIGARH: The Congress has issued show-cause notices to four of its MLAs from Haryana who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha polls in favour of BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal. Despite the cross-voting, the grand old party's candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh managed to win by a slim margin. Congress leaders also submitted a memorandum to Haryana Governor Prof Asim Ghosh, alleging “serious irregularities” in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections.
The show-cause notices, issued by the disciplinary committee of the party, stated, "It has been brought to the notice of the party leadership that during the recently held Rajya Sabha election on March 16, you have allegedly cast your vote in a manner contrary to the prescribed procedure and the official direction issued by the party, resulting in the cancellation/invalidity of your vote. The aforesaid act, if established, appears to be a deliberate deviation intended to defeat the Party's official position and constitutes a serious breach of party discipline."
The notices further added, "Such conduct amounts to anti-party activities and undermines the unity, integrity, and ideological commitments of the party. It is also in clear violation of the party constitution, rules, and established norms."
Sources said the legislators have been given seven days to respond after receiving the notices, explaining why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them for the alleged misconduct. The notices further stated that if no reply is received within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that they have no explanation to offer, and the party will proceed in accordance with the law and party rules.
Haryana Congress in-charge BK Hariprasad had on Wednesday announced the names of the MLAs -- Shalley Chaudhary from Naraingarh, Mohammad Ilyas from Punahana, Mohammad Israel from Hathin, and Renu Bala from Sadhaura -- adding that the state party’s disciplinary committee chairman, Dharampal Malik has been informed and show-cause notices will be sent to these MLAs soon. "The committee will send a report and based on it action will be taken," he said.
Congress leaders led by leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also submitted a memorandum to Haryana Governor Prof Asim Ghosh alleging "horse-trading, allurements, intimidations" and that rules were flouted.
"This unscrupulous act of the ruling party trampled the dignity of the august Haryana Legislative Assembly by transforming it into a political market. The ruling dispensation behaved as political predators and adopted all immoral means for the victory of its independent candidate. They openly and unabashedly indulged in horse trading, faustian bargains, allurements, intimidations, institutional pressures, dishonest deals and misuse of government machinery. All this was a foulest broad-day light murder of democracy in the state with the whole country watching," stated the memorandum.
"More shameful and painful was the notorious shrewdness and arbitrariness in the conduct of the Returning Officer which supplemented the nefarious manipulations and machinations of the ruling party. The IAS officer Pankaj Aggarwal behaved as an agent of the BJP/Independent candidate in a manner in unbecoming of a constitutional authority," it alleged.
"He deliberately and illegally rejected the Congress MLAs' votes, accepted and allowed the invalid votes in favour of BJP and the Independent candidates. He even attempted to tamper with the counting process and procedure to influence the election outcome in favour of the Independent candidate. He contemptuously ignored and rejected all valid objections/complaints made by the Congress polling agents. The Congress party had even complained to the Election Commission of India about his misconduct," it added.