Loktantrik factions go on an expulsion spree

LUCKNOW, FEB 24: Allegations and counter-allegations marked the day in Lucknow today with former CM and BSP leader Mayawati accusing the All...

LUCKNOW, FEB 24: Allegations and counter-allegations marked the day in Lucknow today with former CM and BSP leader Mayawati accusing the Allahabad High Court of bias towards the BJP and two factions of the Loktantrik Congress (LC) taking each other on.

Mayawati said that the HC gave “complete relief” to Kalyan SIngh within 24 hours while the BSP’s petition seeking disqualification of 13 defectorswho voted in favour of Kalyan on October 21 — still hanging fire.

Demanding the dissolution of the Assembly and fresh elections in the State, Mayawati alleged that Kalyan was already indulging in horse-trading of MLAs, “all because of a nanga naach (brazen show) by the legislature and the judicary”. Meanwhile, the war in the LC hotted up today with each group expelling its rival’s supporters. Ousted CM Jagdambika Pal, claiming support of 13 LC MLAs, expelled Naresh Aggarwal, Diwakar Vikram Singh, Vivek Singh, Amar Mani Tripathi and Fateh Bahadur Singh from the LC.

For good measure, Naresh Agrawal, too,expelled Pal, Puran Singh Bundela and Hari Shankar Tiwari from his faction of the LC. “I have also requested Kalyan Singh to drop two other Ministers from his Cabinet due to their loyalties being suspect,” said Agarwal. Political events took a strange turn when Vivek Singh, a Naresh loyalist, who quit the Pal cabinet yesterday, alleged that Bhandari had offered him a bribe of Rs 1 crore — in the presence of CLP leader Pramod Tiwari — for not resigning from the Cabinet.