Wednesday, February 23 2005 16:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Terming as "violation of the constitutional rights of a citizen", the externment of his party MPs, including Mohammed Shahabuddin and Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) supremo Laloo Prasad today (Feb 23, 2005) said he would take up the matter with the Election Commission.

"I will take like-minded parties into confidence and discuss the issue of externment of RJD MPs with the EC," Laloo told reporters in Patna.

Voicing displeasure over the externment by the District Magistrates of Siwan and Gopalganj, he said, "this (externment) amounts to violation of the constitutional rights of a citizen as the MPs and other leaders who have been externed are voters of that area."

Stating that he did not want to enter into argument with anybody on the issue, Laloo said, "if at all they were involved in any criminal case, the police would have taken action. If they were found indulging in any electoral malpractice, they could have been arrested".

"Externing them (RJD MPs) is unfortunate and constitutionally wrong," he added.

Siwan district magistrate C K Anil had on February 15 ordered externment of RJD MP from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin, Chief Minister Rabri Devi's MP brothers, Aniruddh Prasad and Subhash Yadav, JDU (Janata Dal United) Lok Sabha member from Maharajganj, Prabhunath Singh and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) leader Kali Pandey till February 28 apprehending that the poll process would be vitiated by their presence.

Shahabuddin, who was lodged in Siwan jail in connection with the kidnapping and murder case of Munna Chaudhary, was earlier shifted to Beur jail in the State capital on the orders of the Election Commission. Siwan DM ordered detention of Shahabuddin in judicial custody though the Patna High Court had already granted regular bail to him in the murder case.