Plea to disqualify MP who left YSRC goes to Privileges panel

NEW DELHI: A plea to disqualify an MP who won Lok Sabha election on a YSR Congress ticket but later joined Telugu Desam Party has been referred to the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee.

YSR Congress had recently petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan seeking disqualification of its MP S P Y Reddy for joining the Telugu Desam Party, under the anti-defection rules.

Leader of Parliamentary Party of YSRCP and Nellore MP M Rajamohan Reddy had said that S P Y Reddy's action of joining TDP after being elected from YSRCP attracts the provisions of clause 2 (1) of the tenth schedule to the Constitution of India and consequently he is liable to be disqualified as a Member of Lok Sabha.

A Lok Sabha bulletin said the Speaker has referred the issue to the Privileges Committee headed by S S Ahluwalia under rule 7(4) of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985 for making a "preliminary enquiry".