LS committee set up to look into "cash-for-vote" scam to meet today

New Delhi, July 30 : The seven-member Lok Sabha committee set up by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to look into the "cash-for-vote" scandal will hold its first meeting inside the parliament premises today.

The committee is expected collect evidence from the three BJP MPs - Ashok Argal, Fagan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora - as also the TV channel - CNN-IBN - that conducted the sting operation.

Headed by the Congress' Kishore Chandra Deo, the committee is likely to view the original video footage and mike transcripts as part of its inquiry.

Earlier, the BJP MPs had filed a formal complaint with the Speaker alleging that Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh had offered them bribe for abstaining from the trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

On Wednesday, Chatterjee had said that nobody would be spared if found guilty.

The BJP claimed that its three MPs were offered three crore rupees each, and were handed over a total of one crore rupees in advance. The one crore rupees and the video tapes are still under the custody of Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary, and will be deposited with the government after the probe.

Other members of the committee are VK Malhotra (BJP), Mohammed Salim (CPM), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD), Rajesh Verma (BSP), and C Kuppusway (DMK).

ANI