SEPT 27- BJP leaders on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee and urged him not to sign the ordinance approved by the cabinet to save convicted lawmakers from immediate disqualification.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj gave the President a memorandum detailing their party’s objections to the ordinance.
“The ordinance is illegal, immoral and unconstitutional. We urged the president not to sign it and return it to the government,” Sushma Swaraj said.
She contended the president was not bound to sign an ordinance which was unconstitutional.
Sushma Swaraj said the President told the BJP leaders that he will examine their demand and then take a decision.
Answering a query, she said it was wrong to state the BJP had agreed to support the bill brought by the government to prevent convicted lawmakers from disqualification.
She said the BJP had said that the bill should be sent to the standing committee.
The Supreme Court had on July 10 struck down a provision of the Representation of People Act that allows a convicted member of Parliament or a state legislature to continue membership for a three month period for filing an appeal to a higher court and get a stay on the conviction.
Sources said that the ordinance, approved by the government on Tuesday, negates the apex court order on immediate disqualification of convicted lawmakers and allows them to continue in their position if their appeal is admitted in higher courts within the same interval.
INDIA TODAY
