NEW DELHI: With every vote becoming critical for survival, the Manmohan Singh government will be tapping prison cells in different parts of the country to raise MPs for the test of strength in Parliament. The headcount of United Progressive Alliance supporters includes five jailbirds. Three are serving a life sentence and two are undertrials. They are:
n Mohd Shahabuddin of Lalu Prasad’s RJD. He is in Siwan jail, Bihar, sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping with intent to murder
n Pappu Yadav, also of RJD. He is in Tihar jail, Delhi, also serving a life sentence for murder
n Suraj Bhan Yadav of Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP. He is in Patna jail, sentenced to life imprisonment for murder
n Atiq Ahmed of Mulayam’s SP. He is in Allahabad jail, facing trial in a murder case
n Afzal Ansari also of SP. He is in Ghazipur jail as an undertrial charged with conspiracy to murder
It’s history in the making. D-day promises to be a day of high drama in Parliament as the five prisoners are brought under armed police escort to the nerve centre of Indian democracy. The police will hand them over to Parliament security men at the gates. They will then be escorted, a security guard on either side, to the sanctum sanctorum to cast their precious vote.
The Speaker’s role is crucial. He is the constitutional authority who gives permission in such cases. The MPs will have to write to him and he will direct the relevant prisons to send them to Delhi. According to former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap, there is no set rule so the Speaker will have to use his discretion.
It could become a political battle of wits as the Speaker is CPI(M)’s Somnath Chatterjee. However, the UPA is counting on the convention set for the presidential polls last year when the Supreme Court ruled that imprisoned MPs should be allowed to cast their vote. Lalu, Paswan and Amar Singh will make sure their MPs get to Parliament on time.
