SP Expels Amar, Jaya; Suspends Four MLAs

Labeling Amar Singh and Jaya Prada as ‘intruders’, SP has expelled them from the party, saying that they are involved in anti-party activities and denting its socialist image, said media reports.

Talking to reporters in Lucknow, SP national general secretary and spokesman Mohan Singh said that the decision was taken at the SP parliamentary board meeting chaired by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, said reports.

Also, membership of four legislators – Madan Chauhan, Sandeep Agarwal, Ashok Chandel and Sarvesh Singh, all Amar Singh loyalists – was also suspended in the meeting, reports said citing Singh.

“For over a month some leaders of the party have been continuously giving statements against the SP,” Singh was quoted as saying.

Singh said that MP Jaya Prada held a press conference on January 31 and made ‘indecent comments’ against the SP leadership and spit venom against its policies, said reports.

“She also gave statements in support of Kalyan Singh, which the party thought had dented its secular image. Any leader, howsoever important, he or she cannot be allowed to make public statements against any political party,” he was quoted as saying.

“Therefore, the parliamentary board has decided to expel Jaya Prada from the primary membership of the party,” he was quoted as saying.

Singh also said that that Jaya Prada was a ‘guided missile’ of Amar Singh, said reports.

Singh accused Amar of attempting to ‘deshape’ the SP. “His entry in the party was capitalist and communal intrusion intended to damage the socialist movement,” he was quoted as saying.

He said that the party decided to expel him from the primary membership with a ‘heavy heart’ to free itself from such forces, said reports.

“He (Amar) voluntarily floated Lok Manch, which is a parellel organisation to SP and repeatedly attempted to create a rift, engineer a split and dent the image of the party.

“SP’s policy is that of casteless politics, whereas Amar Singh attempted to promote casteist politics,” the SP spokesman was quoted as saying.

Singh said that the party will move a petition before Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman to disqualify them from the two Houses of Parliament on grounds of indulging in anti-party activities, said reports.

He said that the four MLAs, who were ‘conspiring to engineer a split’ in the party in UP and had become followers of Amar Singh, have been suspended from the primary membership of the party. “The state unit has been asked to make an inquiry into their conduct and take action against them.”

Regarding Jaya Bachchan, the SP spokesman said that so far she had not done anything which amounted to anti-party activity.

(Based on internet reports)