Mohan Singh, the new party spokesman who replaced Amar Singh as General Secretary, asked him on Friday to resign from the Rajya Sabha to which he was elected as a party nominee. Mohan Singh told Deccan Herald that the statements made by Amar Singh make his intentions clear.

Mohan Singh also a ‘“Thakur” by caste is brought to the forefront to neutralise Amar Singh who is trying to galvanise “Thakur votes” around him in Uttar Pradesh.

Amar Singh may take a leaf out of the book of expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh who was ousted from the party on August 19, 2009, but continued to retain his Lok Sabha seat as an independent member. Current Congress MP in Lok Sabha Raj Babbar was also expelled in 2006 from SP and still continued as Rajya Sabha member in the last Lok Sabha.

The war of words between SP leaders and their estranged colleague Amar Singh escalated this week with the latter daring to contest against Yadav’s son and nephew in UP. 

“I request Mulayamji to get the Kannauj and Badayun seats vacated and I will contest against Akhilesh Singh (from Kannauj) and Dharmendra (Badaun)”, was Singh’s riposte to the demand for his resignation from the upper house.

“He (Amar Singh) has been teaching everybody a lesson on morality but after his refusal to quit it has now become clear who is moral and who is not. The former SP General Secretary wants to be glued to some post through some party. Politics is not his real motive,” said Mohan Singh

According to sources, Amar Singh does not want to resign from the Rajya Sabha membership as the Tenth Schedule in the Constitution relating to anti-defection law  provides for disqualification of elected members from Parliament on grounds of defection to another political party, or if the member voluntarily gives up the membership.  If  Singh is expelled from the party, he would not be liable for disqualification as an RS member.