The Bairia MLA had said that the man "opened fire in self-defence" (File)
Bairia BJP MLA Surendra Singh on Wednesday said he was yet to receive the show cause notice served on him by the party over his statements supporting a local party leader accused of murdering a man during an event attended by senior district and police officials in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia.
The MLA had come out in support of Dhirendra Pratap Singh, who allegedly shot dead a 46-year-old man in Ballia district's Durjanpur village following a quarrel over the public allotment of ration shops on October 15.
Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh had on Monday served the notice to the MLA and given him a week's time to respond to it.
"I have not yet received the notice. I will give my reply once I receive it," Surendra Singh said on Wednesday.
The Bairia MLA, who had gone to Lucknow on Sunday to meet senior leaders, including the state party chief, general secretary Sunil Bansal, had said he also wanted to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for a CB-CID enquiry in the case.
"Since the chief minister is busy in the election tour, I have not been able to meet him," he said, adding that he has met other leaders in this connection without elaborating further.
The legislator, however, exuded confidence that an FIR on the basis of a complaint by the accused's family will be lodged soon in the incident.
Supporting the accused BJP leader, the Bairia MLA had said that the former "opened fire in self-defence" as it was a "do-or-die situation for him".
He had also accused the administration of bias and demanded that action be taken against the other side.