Janata Dal Leader Sharad Yadav during a press Conference at his New Delhi Residence. (Express photo by Renuka Puri) Janata Dal Leader Sharad Yadav during a press Conference at his New Delhi Residence. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday disqualified former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar Ansari from the membership of the House.

“It is crystal clear that by his conduct, actions and speeches”, Yadav “has voluntarily given up his membership” of the Janata Dal (United) by which he was set up as a candidate for election to the Rajya Sabha from the State of Bihar in 2016” and was elected, a late-night official announcement said.

The disqualification was ordered under Paragraph 2 (1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule. The Chairman had been petitioned for action by Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, leader of the JD(U) group in the Rajya Sabha. Naidu said he had arrived at the decision “after taking into account the facts of the case, the comments of the Respondent and the Petitioner, the Respondent’s oral submission during the personal hearing on November 8, 2017, and the observations of the Committee of Privileges of the Eighth Lok Sabha and Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Judgement in the1994 Ravi Naik Vs. Union of India case and observations in similar anti-defection cases. A similar order was passed in the case of Ansari.

Ram Chandra Prasad Singh had filed the petitions on September 2, 2017, stating that by his repeated conduct, public/press statements against the JD(U) and its leadership, and by openly aligning with a rival political party, the RJD, Yadav had proved that he has voluntarily given up the membership of the party, thus becoming subject to disqualification under the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution.

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