Raj Babbar, Bollywood actor and Samajwadi Party Parliamentarian from Agra, was on Tuesday suspended from the parliamentary board of the party on grounds of indiscipline.
Babbar had earlier said in an interview that he will not resign in the face of party pressure.
In a letter to Babbar, SP parliamentary party leader Ram Gopal Yadav accused him of indulging in 'indiscipline' by making public statements against Amar Singh at the 'behest' of the Congress party.
"You have been leveling illogical charges against Amar Singh and also the party. It seems from your statements that you are making such statements at the behest of the Congress party. Therefore, it has been decided to suspend you from the party for six years," Yadav said in the letter, adding that it had been decided to constitute a three-member committee to go into the charges against him.
The committee comprises senior Lok Sabha member Mohan Singh, Rajya Sabha member Shahid Siddiqui and Akhilesh Yadav, Lok Sabha member and son of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mohan Singh will be the convener of the committee.
Babbar, who was elected from Agra constituency twice, has been attacking Amar Singh alleging that he was a 'fixer' and promoting 'broker culture,' besides maligning the party's socialist moorings.
He later called on Prakash Karat, general secretary of Communist Party of India and held talks with him on Tuesday. Sitaram Yechuri and Vrinda Karat were also present during the meeting.
"The media is wondering why I came to see the communist leaders and held talks with them. I came here because left parties are the umbrella of secularism and I wanted to assure them that I am not weakening the secular force by raising voice against the role of the middlemen in the Indian politics," Babbar told newsmen awaiting his reaction to the suspension notice.
"I have raised a question and the party leadership, particularly Mulayam Singh Yadavji will address this question," he added. Babbar declared that he will fight his battle single-handedly.
"They have called me agent of a particular party. Yes, I am an agent but that of the people of Agra whom I represent in Parliament. I am an agent who exposes the role of middleman. I am against Amar Singh kind of politics," he said, adding, "Find out what he used to do in Kolkata. Those who worked with Virbahadur Singh and Madhavrao Scindia will tell you the role of the man."
Mounting an attack on Amar Singh on his statement on privatization of airports, Babbar said, "The official reaction of the Samajwadi Party was that it opposes privatization of airports because the contract was not given to Anil Ambani. That shows the level of thinking."
"What is happening to the party that takes a vow by the name and ideals of people like Dr Ram Manohar Lohia," he quipped.
Asked if he will appear before the three-member committee appointed by the party, he said he had no hesitation in appearing before the committee. "But I want the proceedings of the committee to be open and media should be allowed to witness the proceedings," he added.
With Agency Inputs
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