U.P. MLAs question Speaker's ruling

By P.K. Roy

LUCKNOW, APRIL 28. Uncertainty continues to linger over the resignation tendered yesterday by the senior BJP Cabinet Minister Kalraj Misra,peeved over charges of corruption levelled by a Samajwadi Party MLAs a day earlier on the floor of the assembly. While the Chief Minister Mr.Ram Prakash Gupta has refused to accept Mr. Misra's resignation,the latter did not attend office today or the assembly which is in session.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Assembly who had yesterday directed the Government to produce the state chief of the PWD engineers' Association Mr. Ambika Misra before the House today, and who appeared in the House, reserved his ruling over spate of objections raised by several Opposition leaders. Mr.Misra in a letter to the PWD minister Mr. Kalraj Misra last year had referred to rampant corruption gripping his department and need of corrective action. Incidentally, nowhere the chief of the Engineers' Association had levelled any charge against the minister concerned. However, the SP MLA, Mr. Babu Ram Yadav, two days back had claimed that the Engineers' Association Chief had in fact levelled charges in his letter to the Minister against him. The PWD Minister had denied the charge and the matter had subsided after a fierce debate.

However, several Opposition leaders pleaded with the Speaker that summoning of a non-member inside the House over allegation against a Minister or a people's representative would set a historic precedent and a pandora's box would be opened.

The Speaker, in view of the objection raised, did not ask any question to the Engineers' Association Chief Mr. Ambika Misra, who was brought before the House and reserved his judgment. Mr.Misra was latter allowed to leave the House.

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Section  : Regional
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