Congress MLA Questions MP Assembly Speaker's Swift Termination After Conviction
Disqualified Congress MLA from Datia, Rajendra Bharti, on Saturday raised serious questions about the probity of Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar's action of terminating his membership within hours of his conviction in a decades-old cooperative bank fraud case. The swift move has sparked controversy and allegations of political motivation.
Court Conviction and Assembly Termination
The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi had awarded Bharti three years of imprisonment on Thursday in a 28-year-old cooperative bank fraud case. However, in a significant development, the Delhi court kept its verdict in abeyance for 60 days, granting Bharti crucial time to appeal in a higher court. Despite this temporary reprieve from the judiciary, the MP Assembly Speaker moved swiftly to terminate Bharti's membership.
Bharti has labeled his termination as "politically motivated," stating, "The move to strip him of his assembly membership has been done keeping in mind the upcoming elections for Rajya Sabha." This allegation adds a new dimension to the ongoing political tensions in Madhya Pradesh.
Historical Precedent Cited
In his defense, Bharti cited the case of former MP home minister Narottam Mishra, who faced disqualification in 2017. The Election Commission of India had disqualified Mishra after finding him guilty in a paid news case related to the 2008 assembly elections. Despite this disqualification, Mishra remained a member of the legislative house for approximately 35 days after the ECI's decision until he obtained a stay from the Delhi High Court.
The case against Mishra originated when Bharti himself lodged a complaint with the ECI, alleging that Mishra had violated the model code of conduct by publishing paid news articles in vernacular newspapers during the run-up to the November 2008 assembly elections. The ECI upheld Bharti's complaint, disqualifying Mishra from assembly membership and banning him from contesting any election for three years.
Mishra subsequently moved the Delhi High Court against the ECI order and obtained a stay. The ECI then appealed against the high court order in the Supreme Court, where the case remains sub-judice to this day.
Long-Standing Political Rivalry
The political dynamics between Bharti and Mishra add complexity to this situation. Rajendra Bharti, who defeated Narottam Mishra in the previous 2023 state assembly election from Congress, has been his long-time rival for the Datia assembly seat. Bharti had lost three consecutive state assembly elections in 2008, 2013, and 2018 to Mishra, who served as a cabinet minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
Bharti's drought for victory finally ended in 2023 when he defeated his archrival, marking a significant political shift in the Datia constituency. This history of political competition between the two figures provides context to the current controversy.
Case Transfer Rationale
When questioned about why he shifted his fraud case from a Gwalior court to the Delhi court, Bharti explained that there could have been attempts to influence the case proceedings in Madhya Pradesh. This concern prompted his decision to move the case to Delhi, seeking what he perceived as a more impartial judicial environment.
The rapid termination of Bharti's assembly membership, juxtaposed against the historical precedent of Mishra's case and the ongoing political rivalry, raises important questions about procedural consistency and political motivations in legislative disqualifications.
