BJP objects arrest of `whistle-blower' MPs, seeks deeper probe

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.

BJP MP Ashok Argal, who along with two of his colleagues had brought Rs one crore in the Lok Sabha during the trust vote in July 2008, asked if he had indulged in corruption would he have got the currency notes to Parliament.

"If we had indulged in corruption would we have called for TV cameras? Would we have brought notes to Parliament to prove how the Congress government was being saved," he asked.

"You all know what means were adopted when the UPA-I government of Manmohan Singh was reduced to a minority. All this is happening because of that," he told reporters outside Parliament.

Argal also wanted to know why media persons were not named as accused in this case. He contended that a newsweekly magazine was spared despite having conducted a sting operation.

"All this has happened because MPs were managed, the government was saved. Why did the MPs change their parties? Do MPs change loyalties for free," he asked.

Argal said he would remain in the BJP for the rest of his life and would never support the Congress.