Chandigarh, May 6:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday met President Droupadi Murmu and sought the termination of membership of six Rajya Sabha members from the state who defected to the BJP, saying their act was a “mockery” and “murder” of the Constitution.
On April 24, the AAPsuffered a massive setback when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha members — Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal — quit and merged with the BJP, alleging that the party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Six of these seven MPs are from Punjab while Maliwal is from Delhi.
Mann met the President alone at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he submitted a memorandum along with the signatures of all MLAs. Approximately 90 MLAs were gathered at nearby Rail Bhawan while the meeting took place.
Mann emphasised the need for a ‘recall’ provision in the Constitution, referencing Chadha’s earlier calls for such a measure when representatives fail to meet public expectations.
Mann later said the President assured him that she would consult constitutional experts before responding. “I had a very good meeting.” In February, Chadha had argued for the introduction of a ‘Right to Recall’ mechanism, which would empower voters to remove elected representatives before the expiration of their five-year term if they do not perform effectively.
Notably, Chadha also met Murmu before Mann, and submitted a representation alleging harassment and “politically motivated” action against them following their exit from AAP. ”The Aam Aadmi Party, which accuses everyone else of revenge politics, is today itself indulging in dangerous vendetta politics. Since April 24, when we left AAP and merged with the BJP, our MPs are being systematically targeted and harassed,” Chadha said after the meeting. Fellow MPs Gupta and Mittal were also part of the delegation.