BJP against House panel probe into MPLADS scandal

The BJP is all set to demand that the probe into the MPLAD scam involving seven MPs, three of them from BJP, be handed over to either the Lo...

The BJP is all set to demand that the probe into the MPLAD scam involving seven MPs, three of them from BJP, be handed over to either the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee or the CBI. But Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is unlikely to oblige as the expanded Bansal Committee is expected to submit its report within its time limit. On January 16, the Committee is slated to hold its preliminary meeting.

Ruling out handing over of the probe to the Ethics Committee, sources in the LS Secretariat said former PM Chandrashekhar, the head of the House panel, is ‘‘too unwell’’ to chair a full-fledged inquiry.

The LS Ethics Committee has been hobbled by Chandrasekhar’s condition. ‘‘The Committee has not called a single meeting in the case of MP Vijendra Pal Singh who was allegedly faked Parliament stickers for the VIP parking slot. It is unlikely to conduct a time-bound probe,’’ the sources added.

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It was due to this problem that the Bansal Committee was expanded from five members to seven to include Prasanna Acharya, chairman of the LS Standing Committee on MPLADS, and MP D P Yadav. BJP’s deputy leader in the LS Vijay Kumar Malhotra is a member. The LS Secretariat also clarified that both BJP and Malhotra separately consented to the formation of the special probe committee and to be a part of it. The Committee is expected to submit its report on Jan 31.

Of the implicated BJP MPs, Chandrapal Singh has been expelled from LS for his role in the cash-for-query expose. The others, Faggan Singh Khulaste and Ramswarup Koli, have been asked not to attend proceedings pending the inquiry.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

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