Lok Sabha has expelled 10 members for being involved in the cash-for-questions scam. The MPs were caught in a TV sting operation while accepting money from a non-existing non governmental organisation to ask questions in parliament.
The expelled members are: Narendra Kumar Khushwaha, Anna Saheb M K Patil from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh (BSP), Manoj Kumar Palamau of Jharkhand (RJD), Y G Mahajan of Jalgaon, Maharashtra (BJP), Pradip Gandhi of Rajnandgaon Chhattisgarh (BJP), Suresh Chandel Hamirpur - Himachal Pradesh (BJP), Ram Sevak Singh of Gwalior (Congress), Lal Chander Kol of Robertsganj, Uttar Pradesh (BSP), Raja Ram Pal of Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh (BSP) and Chandra Pratap Singh of Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh (BJP).
The motion moved by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the expulsion of the members was carried by a voice vote after the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies and the Bahujan Samaj Party staged a walkout.
BJP president Lal Kishenchand Advani said that the punishment handed out to the MPs was very harsh and hence he would not like to be party to a bad precedent. Advani then staged a walkout of the House and others followed suit.
Prior to the expulsion, the House rejected an amendment by Vijay Kumar Malhotra in which he proposed that the case be moved to the Privileges Committee.
In the Rajya Sabha, Chatrapal Singh Lodha, BJP member from Orissa, who was also caught in the sting, was also expelled.
The House debated the report of the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha, which is chaired by Dr Karan Singh of the Congress party.
Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley made strong pleas that Lodha be given an opportunity to be heard and the case be referred to the Privileges Committee.