“We have expelled the six MPs for defying the party whip. SP Parliamentary Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav will convey this decision to the Lok Sabha Speaker on Saturday,” said SP General Secretary Amar Singh.

Those expelled are Jai Prakash (Mohanlalganj), S P Singh Baghel (Jalesar), Raj Narain Budholia (Hamirpur), Afzal Ansari (Ghazipur), Ateq Ahmed (Phulpur) and Munawwar Hasan (Muzaffarnagar).

Singh also took potshots at the BJP for its party workers’ attack on the houses of party MPs, who defied the whip.

“Even when it is clear that six of our party MPs have defied the party whip, no SP worker is attacking their residences. But it is the BJP, that used to flay the SP for having rogue elements in the party, which are attacking the houses of its MPs,” said Singh sarcastically.

The SP leader also mounted an attack on the BJP and BSP. “Six MPs defied our party line. It is either BSP or BJP or a joint operation by both these parties which did this. I don’t think Left parties can engineer anything like that,” he added.

“All parties should sit together to ponder over the issues of defection and immoral behaviour of their elected representatives. The blame game must end,” Singh said, adding he was ready to bow out of the public life if proved that he was involved in the “cash-for-vote” scam.

He remained non-committal about joining the government. “There has been no such (joining the government) discussion within the party,” he added. However, Singh expressed the hope that the UPA government would take his party into confidence on major policy decisions.