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Speaker puts dissident BSP legislator on notice

Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi on Thursday served a seven-day notice on dissident Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Jai Prakash Yadav asking him to file by November 20 his reply to a petition seeking his disqualification.

The BSP legislature party had moved a petition on Wednesday asking the speaker to disqualify Yadav for speaking against the state government. Chief Minister Mayawati claims this action comes under the purview of the anti-defection law.

Senior BSP minister Swami Prasad Maurya submitted the petition on behalf of BSP legislature party leader Mayawati to the assembly's secretary R P Pandey.

According to sources, after scrutiny and verification, the petition was found 'technically correct' and subsequently a notice was issued to the dissident BSP MLA, who represents Dhuriapar in Gorakhpur district.

The speaker asked Pandey to send the notice to the Lucknow residence of Yadav and also publish it in the newspapers.

Mayawati has already suspended Yadav after he met the governor and submitted a memorandum contending that her government had been reduced to a minority after some independent MLAs withdrew support and urged him to convene a special assembly session for a trial of strength.

Criminal cases were also registered against Yadav who claimed it was 'an act of vendetta'.

The BSP's coalition partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has already sought disqualification of its 10 dissident MLAs who proposed the name of arms dealer Suresh Nanda for the Rajya Sabha election.

The speaker has issued show-cause notices to all these legislators asking them to explain their position by November 19.

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