BJP now demands PM drop all tainted ministers

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) The BJP Parliamentary Party which had decided to stall the Lok Sabha tomorrow if convicted Union Coal Minister Shibu Soren was not dropped from the government today demanded that the whole lot of tainted ministers should be dropped from the Cabinetto save the nation from facing embarassment time and again.

BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that his party had vehemently opposed the induction of criminal elements into the Cabinet but when it fell on the deaf ears of the Government, the party had left the issue to be settled by the Judiciary and the people's verdict. "It is an established practice that any charge sheeted person should not be in the government, but this has not happened in the UPA government much to the discomfort of the Government, Parliament and the country," he said.

He said the PM by this episode should learn to keep the tainted ministers away from the government and it was good that he had sought Mr Soren's resignation, he said.

While senior BJP Spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said that the judicial verdict should be acceptable to all, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that it was not the minister's post that was now in question for Mr Soren but his membership of Lok Sabha at a time when MPs were disqualified and expelled from the House for much lesser crimes.

Earlier today Mr Soren was convicted for the murder and disappearance of his assistant by the trial court.

UNI MCN RP HT2020