JD(U) issues show cause notice to its three MPs

New Delhi, Dec 13: Taking serious note of three of its MPs caught in a sting operation alleging

, the JD (U) on Friday issued them show cause notice asking them to make their stand clear before party

by this weekend.

In the show cause notice to Vishwamohan Kumar, Bhudeo Choudhury and Maheshwar Hazari, JD (U) General Secretary K C Tyagi said the party has taken a "serious note" of the sting operation where they were shown allegedly expressing willingness to write letters of recommendations and lobby for a fictitious foreign oil company for fees ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh.

Vishwamohan Kumar, Bhudeo Choudhury and Maheshwar Hazari were issued notices.

"Party chief Sharad Yadav has considered it as a betrayal of JD (U)'s basic principles and philosophy... The party was formed on the foundation of fight against corruption," the identical but separate notices said. The three have been asked to respond by the weekend "otherwise the party will be forced to take a serious decision."

A string operation carried out by portal Cobrapost has shown that 11 MPs from Congress, BJP, JD(U), AIADMK and BSP were ready to write letters of recommendations and lobby for a fictitious foreign oil company for fees ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh.

The MPs seen in the sting videos are K Sugumar and C Rajendran (AIADMK), Lalu Bhai Patel, Ravindra Kumar Pandey and Hari Manjhi (BJP), Vishwa Mohan Kumar, Maheshwar Hazari and Bhudeo Chaudhary (JD-U), Khiladi Lal Bairwa and Vikrambhai Arjanbhai (Congress) and Kaiser Jahan (BSP).

Most of them are from rural background and belong to SC/ST category. Parliament had expelled 11 MPs after a similar undercover operation by a news portal exposed lawmakers taking money for asking questions seven years ago.

PTI