Monday, March 27 2006 15:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Most of the Opposition UPA MLAs from Jharkhand arrived here today (Mar 27, 2006) to petition President A P J Abdul Kalam seeking disqualification of some 13 NDA MLAs on the ground of holding offices of profit, a move which they claim could push the Arjun Munda Government to the brink.

While some MLAs took flights from Ranchi and Kolkata, others opted for the Rajdhani Express. Opposition MLAs have sought an appointment with Kalam and are also likely to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) B B Tandon in a day or two after he returns from his tour of poll-bound Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.

The UPA MLAs' plan to meet Kalam and the CEC came after they had urged Governor Syed Sibte Razi not to approve the controversial bill passed by the Jharkhand Assembley to protect a number of NDA MLAs from possible disqualification.

Opposition UPA has described the Jharkhand Legislator (Removal of Disqualification Bill 2006) as a 'black Bill' and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

With the office of profit controversy snowballing, the Governor has already written to the CEC seeking to know the status of some NDA MLAs accused of holding offices of profit.

In the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly, a minor tilt in the number can bring the government to the brink. While the NDA has 43 MLAs including a nominated one, UPA has 39.