The Haryana Congress Legislature Party has issued a show-cause notice to Ratia MLA Jarnail Singh seeking to initiate his disqualification under the anti-defection law for allegedly defying the party whip and engaging in anti-party activities during the Assembly’s Monsoon Session.
The notice, issued by Congress chief whip and Rohtak MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra, asks Mr. Singh to explain why his conduct should not be treated as “voluntarily giving up his membership of the Congress”.
He has sought a point-wise response to 17 questions and asked Mr. Singh to explain why proceedings for his disqualification should not be initiated.
Mr. Singh, who was elected on a Congress ticket, was among the five MLAs suspended from the party’s primary membership in April for allegedly voting against the party nominee in the Rajya Sabha election.
According to the notice, the CLP had issued a three-line whip on August 27, directing its MLAs to remain present in the House during the Session and support an adjournment motion moved by the party. CLP secretary Induraj Narwal was deputed to serve the whip on the members.
The notice cites Mr. Narwal’s report that Mr. Singh refused to accept the whip. It further alleges that although he was present in the House when the adjournment motion was taken up, he did not stand in its support along with the other Congress MLAs.
Mr. Singh has also been accused of displaying a placard inside the House and subsequently taking it to the Treasury benches while raising slogans against the Congress along with members of the ruling party. Photographs and video clips of the incident have been enclosed with the notice.
Mr. Batra has cited the alleged conduct as part of a pattern of indiscipline and said it indicated that Mr. Singh had aligned himself with the ruling party. The notice invokes paragraphs 2(1)(a) and 2(1)(b) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Published – September 17, 2026 12:23 am IST
