Chandigarh: The Congress in Haryana on Tuesday
gained absolute majority in the state assembly when another
Kuldeep Bishnoi-led Haryana Janhit Congress MLA joined the
ruling party following the footsteps of his four party
colleagues.
Dharam Singh Chokkar, the HJC MLA from Samalkha, embraced
the Congress taking its tally to 45 in the 90-member House
with an effective strength of 89.
Yesterday, four of the six HJC (BL) legislators joined
the Congress which also enjoys the support of seven
independents and the lone BSP legislator Akram Khan.
Chokkar had sent a communication to the Speaker yesterday
that he wanted to join the ruling party along with four of his
party colleagues.
"I have accepted his plea. Chokkar has today joined the
Congress which has accepted him as its member," Speaker H S
Chatha told reportes here.
The HJC is now left with just one legislator -- party
supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, the younger son of former Chief
Minister Bhajan Lal.
In a statement, Bishnoi said he would move the court
against what he called "unconstitutional and illegal" merger
of five of his party MLAs into the Congress.
The anti-defection law had been violated, he said and
accused the Congress of indulging in horse-trading.
The HJC (BL) split yesterday when Zile Ram Chochra,
Vinod Bhayana, Satpal Sangwan and Rao Narender Singh joined
the Congress.
They said they had legally broke away from their parent
party and had merged with the Congress as their group formed
two-thirds of the HJC Legislature Party's strength.
This was much more than the number required to escape the
provisions of the anti-defection law, they said.
Bishnoi apologised to the people saying he had given
tickets to "five wrong people".
Opposition INLD also accused the Congress of promoting
defection and horse-trading in Haryana.
INLD chief and former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala
said "the Congress has always promoted defection to capture
power."
"In the present episode, the anti-defection act has been
blatantly violated," he said adding the entire exercise was
"unconstitutional".
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 23:32