Lok Sabha security was compromised, says Cong

Under attack from the Opposition on the cash-for-votes scam, the Congress on Monday sought to turn...

Under attack from the Opposition on the cash-for-votes scam, the Congress on Monday sought to turn the tables on the BJP demanding that Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee take action against the three BJP MPs for “smuggling” money, allegedly given to them to abstain from voting during the trust motion on July 22, into the Parliament.

Addressing a press briefing here, AICC spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said the BJP needed to answer to the nation why the money was not immediately handed over to the police and why the concerned MPs did not lodge a police complaint.

“How did the money reach Parliament House? Where was it kept in Parliament House? How did the MPs bypass security cameras in Parliament? We feel that the security of Parliament stands compromised by these MPs. If there was at all any truth in the allegations made by these MPs, they should have contacted the Speaker at the earliest instead of timing it at 4 pm when they knew the vote was about to happen and they were losing,” said the spokesperson.

“It is a serious matter when the security of Parliament is compromised. The Speaker needs to examine how the money reached the Parliament House. The Speaker should take action against these MPs,” said Natarajan.