New Delhi, Sep 6: Objecting to the arrest of “whistle-blower” MPs in the cash-for-vote scam, BJP today demanded a deeper probe into the role of Congress which was the “real beneficiary” of the trust vote in 2008 and trace the source of money allegedly used to buy votes of MPs.
BJP said no action has been initiated against the beneficiaries of the scam, while those MPs who were whistle-blowers in the case were arrested and sent to jail.
Describing the arrest of former SP leader Amar Singh as “a step is in the right direction”, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said however, initiating action against the whistle-blower MPs was “completely mala fide”.
Prasad said that while the Government had a law which protected whistle-blowers on the one hand, the CBI is targeting and arresting them in this case.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain demanded a deeper probe into the scam, saying “now that it has been proved that the money was given to win the no-confidence motion.”
“BJP has been saying all along that the Manmohan Singh government was saved in an illegal manner by paying bribes to MPs. But we consider the arrest of the whistleblower MPs as wrong. Delhi Police should expand the ambit of its probe to find out the role of the Congress,” he said.
Former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagore were also arrested today in the cash-for-vote scam, along with Amar Singh.
Hussain said, “if the Delhi police has accepted that Amar Singh is guilty then the beneficiaries should also be probed.
He was the anchor for the cash-for-vote and the government kept saving the guilty till now.” adding that
Delhi police should explain why Congress leaders were not probed, he said.
Another senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy also questioned why action was not initiated against those who were the beneficiaries of the cash-for-votes.
“This was the biggest scandal of the century which happened in Parliament,” Rudy said, adding that “it was a matter of concern that the major charge of who the beneficiaries were has not been clarified”.
Prasad charged that the BJP whistle-blower MPs, who exposed this “most shameful saga to corrupt Indian democratic process” were now being targeted.
He insisted that had the Supreme Court not intervened in the cash-for-vote case, no action would have been initiated into the scam and Amar Singh would not have been arrested.
“The larger question remains from where did the money come, at whose instance was Amar Singh active, and who was the beneficiary. This is very important for investigation as Amar Singh was not a minister in UPA, nor Samajwadi Party a part of the government,” said Prasad. PTI
