BJP protests against government over 2008 cash-for-vote scam

New Delhi, Sep 3 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders held a mass rally here today to protest the alleged 'hounding' of whistleblowers of the 2008 cash-for-vote scam by the Central Government.

Voicing their ire against the police action taken against certain BJP lawmakers in the cash-for-vote scandal, hundreds of BJP activists, led by senior party leaders, took to the streets of the national capital, demanding 'justice' in the case.

Lawmaker and senior BJP leader, Navjot Singh Sidhu and President of the party's Delhi state-unit, Vijender Gupta, also participated in the highly charged rally by mobilising and leading the mammoth gathering of slogan shouting protestors.

The protest came days after the Delhi police named four BJP leaders in its charge sheet on the cash-for-vote scandal, which had rocked the Indian parliament in 2008.

Among those named in the said charge sheet were senior party leader and ideologue, Sudheendra Kulkarni, BJP lawmaker Ashok Argal and former party legislators, Mahaveer Bhagode and Faggan Singh Kulaste.

Speaking to mediapersons, Gupta trained guns at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing his government of indulging in vindictive politics.

"The ministers and leaders in the Manmohan Singh government indulged in graft, attempted to buy votes of political representatives, and now, those who exposed the whole scam are being targeted and hounded by the government. The complainant is being treated as a culprit and the guilty one are left untouched. No action has been initiated against those who perpetrated the cash-for-vote scandal. This is why we have held this protest here," Gupta added

Meanwhile, reiterating the BJP's stand on the issue, Sidhu asserted that the government was deliberately attempting to suppress any dissent against graft.

"Today, the government is targeting those who are speaking out against corruption. Be it Arvind Kejriwal, Baba Ramdev, our two party lawmakers or anyone else like Anna Hazare and BJP president Nitin Gadkari who are fighting against corruption, the government is slapping cases and legal notices on them. The government is not fighting corruption, but it is attacking those people who are speaking out against it," he added. (ANI)