Thursday, April 20 2006 18:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Howrah(WB): Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh today (Apr 20, 2006) alleged that actress and party MP Jaya Bachchan had to leave the Rajya Sabha as Congress President Sonia Gandhi did not want to see people like her in parliament.

"Sonia Gandhi does not want to see MPs like Jaya Bachchan or me. That is why Jayaji lost her Rajya Sabha membership," the SP general secretary said at an election rally at Bejpukur in Howrah district.

Jaya Bachchan was disqualified as member of the Rajya Sabha on March 6 on the Election Commission's recommendationon the grounds that she held an office of profit asChairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Board.

Both Singh and Bachchan were here to campaign for party candidate Bijay Upadhyay in Howrah South assembly constituency where polling will be held on April 22 in the second phase of elections in West Bengal.

Bachchan said if the party candidate won from Howrah South seat, she would also look into the problems of the area.

Pointing out that she first campaigned for her husband and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan when he successfully contested from Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency in 1984, she said this was the first time she was campaigning in West Bengal.