Cash-for-vote scam to rock Parliament on last day of monsoon session

NEW DELHI: The arrest of two former BJP MPs in the cash-for-vote scam is set to rock Parliament tomorrow with the opposition planning to give notices for suspension of Question Hour to discuss this issue and demand a deeper probe into the role of the Congress in the matter.

BJP sources said NDA Working President L K Advani will give a notice for suspension of Question Hour and a discussion on the new developments in the cash-for-vote scam in the Lok Sabha. A similar notice will be given by party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Rajya Sabha.

This is likely to disrupt proceedings tomorrow which is the last day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

The main opposition is unhappy not only with the arrest of its two former MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora but also over the fact that no Congress MP has been indicted in the cash-for-vote scam despite BJP allegation that legislators were offered bribes to save the UPA government.

Senior BJP leaders held a meeting yesterday night to discuss the new developments in the cash-for-vote scam. In the late night meeting it was decided that the party will disrupt Parliament over the arrest of Kulaste and Bhagora in the scam.

However, with the Delhi High Court blast taking place today morning, the plan was shelved at the last moment.

BJP top brass is angry that though Kulaste and Bhagora, along with fellow MP Ashok Argal, had acted as whistleblowers during the July 2008 Trust Vote, they have been treated at par with Amar Singh, who they allege had paid the bribe to buy their votes to save the Congress-led UPA-I government.

Amar Singh has also been sent to Tihar jail by the court in the cash-for-vote scam.

BJP has alleged that Amar Singh was working at the behest of the Congress to save UPA-I.