Haryana Janhit Congress joins Congress Party

by Haryananewswire    

CHANDIGARH, JAN 13

Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Sharma today pronounced the merger of the HJC (BL) with the Congress in the judgment of the case concerning joining of the Congress Party by five legislators of the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) here today.

          The speaker who announced the 29-page judgment in a press conference at Haryana Vidhan Sabha complex said that he has accepted the merger of the HJC (BL) with the Congress under the provisions of the 10th schedule of the Constitution of India which allows such a merger provided it is supported by two-third strength of the Legislators.

          Mr Kuldeep Sharma said that although his predecessor, Mr H.S.Chhatha had already in his order approved the merger of the two parties, he dismissed a total of 14 petitions received in this regard, which were clubbed as one petition while deciding the case. While giving details of the petitions, the Speaker said that Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi had filed five petitions on December 9,2009, Mr Ashok Arora filed three petitions on February 2,2010, Mr Sher Singh Badshami filed three petitions on February 4,2010 and Mr A.S.Chautala also filed three petitions on February 23,2010. Also, in all there were 68 witnesses in this case and Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi had appeared as a sole witness. There was no witness from the side of Mr Arora, Mr Badshami and Mr Chautala, he added.

          The Speaker said that he had also thanked  the lawyers of both sides for their contribution in deciding the case. He added that there were allegations of malafid intention leveled against him as Speaker by Mr Kuldeep Bishynoi, which were withdrawn in the High Court by his lawyer.

          He said that it was only after he assumed the office of Speaker, Haryana Vidhan Sabha on March 4,2011 that the case got momentum and it  was finally decided. The judgment   has been made available on the website of Haryana Vidhan Sabha (http://haryanaassembly.gov.in/).

          The Speaker said that he himself being a lawyer, has had all respect for the legal system and the Courts. He has met the deadline fixed by the Supreme Court of India to decide the case. The decision of the merger in question is correct and is a merger of political parties, he added.

          When a mediaman drew his attention towards the one legislator of the HJC(BL) who had come under the fold of Congress alone after four such legislators had already shifted their side a day earlier, the Speaker said, “the merger is a continuing process”.

          In reply to another question he said that former Speaker Mr H.S.Chattha had already accepted the merger, but his order was never challenged. The merger is possible only if two-third of the legislators support and in this case it is as per the norm. However, he said that the order of the Speaker can be challenged only if  it is legally incorrect.

          However, the Speaker said that the issue of petitions concerning seven independent MLAs was still pending with him.

          When he was asked to comment about the status of HJC as a political party, he said that the original political party has been merged with Congress and the status of HJC can be asked from the Election Commission of India.