In a startling revelation, BJP claimed that as many as 50 of its MPs were ‘contacted’ to vote in favour of the government."Fifty of our MPs were contacted and offers were made by the other side. The party appreciates that the offers were rejected and three of them even came out to expose it," deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said.He, however, said the party was ‘ashamed’ of the eight MPs who cross-voted or abstained during the trust vote.Announcing that the three MPs, Ashok Argal (Madhya Pradesh), Faggan Singh Kulaste (Madhya Pradesh) and Mahavir Bagora (Rajasthan) have given a written complaint to the office of the Speaker, Malhotra said his party demanded a copy of the CD of the sting operation submitted by the channel."We have also requested the Speaker's office to provide a copy of the sting operation CD so that people could see it and the truth could be revealed," he said.Malhotra denied any role of the party in the sting operation which allegedly recorded aides of a government ally party handing over cash to the three MPs to vote in favour of the government.Parliament on Tuesday witnessed high drama during the trust vote when Argal, Kulaste and Bagora reached the well of the House with bags full of cash, each carrying Rs 1 crore, and displayed it to the Speaker claiming that the currency notes were given to them by the treasury benches to cross-vote.Malhotra, however, agreed that the act of displaying the cash in House was done by the MPs with permission from the party including senior party leader L K Advani.
