RS issues notices to Sharad Yadav on plea for disqualification

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has taken cognizance of the petition submitted by the Nitish Kumar faction of the JD-U for disqualification of party leaders Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar Ansari on grounds of defection and issued show cause notice to the two leaders. 

The notice has asked the rebel JD(U) leaders to appear before the Rajya Sabha Chairman on the 30th of this month in his chamber in Parliament to present their case.

While Mr Ansari is set to retire in April next year, Mr Yadav's term is till 2022. 

The two MPs had broken away from Bihar



Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after he severed ties with coalition partners RJD and Congress and went to the BJP led National Democratic Alliance fold in July this year.

The JD(U) had appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman to disqualify Mr Yadav and Mr Ansari for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities and voluntarily quitting the party.

Though such cases are usually first referred to the Privileges Committee for preliminary examination, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, being the competent authority, has reportedly decided to dispose the case himself.