Anti-defection law applies to cross-over MLAs

Hyderabad, March 3: Encouraging defections blatantly and boasting that it would not attract the provisions of Anti-defection Act is highly condemnable, YSR Congress has said and asserted that there were precedence when court has intervened in such matters.

‘Engineering defections and boasting that those who crossed over will not be disqualified as long as the Speaker does not take up the issue is spreading fallacy as there are cases when the court intervened and disqualified the members on various grounds,’ party MLA B Rajendernath Reddy told reporters here on Thursday.

Chandrababu Naidu who has been speaking of integrity, values and morals has dropped all the masks and his true colours have been exposed once again by luring MLAs from other parties, even when there was no need as his government has the required numbers.

While he has been crying foul of the defections from his Party to TRS in Telangana, his stand and actions prove to be the opposite in Andhra Pradesh and this duality is setting a bad precedence.

The Anti-Defection Act which was amended clearly states that any elected member switching over to other party will automatically be disqualified. The law does not apply only if two-thirds of the members merge with other party like the PRP has merged with Congress.

People argue that disqualification is the prerogative of the Speaker but there are instances in Karnataka and Bihar where courts had intervened and disqualified the crossed over members, he said.