BJP MPs declare they have no black money stashed abroad

In keeping with an announcement made by party leader L K Advani, Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from both Houses of Parliament on Friday submitted declarations to their respective presiding officers stating that they do not have any illegal money stashed in foreign bank accounts.

112 of the 115 BJP MPs in Lok Sabha and 50 of the 51 party MPs in Rajya Sabha submitted their declarations.

"One of our MPs is now the Chief Minister of Karnataka while two of our MPs from that state have been suspended. In Rajya Sabha, of our 51 MPs, 50 have submitted their declarations. Ram Jethmalani could not reach Delhi today as his daughter is critically ill and in hospital," BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, along with party leaders L K Advani and Yashwant Sinha, met Speaker Meira Kumar and submitted the declarations of BJP MPs from the Lower House.

The declarations of BJP MPs from Rajya Sabha were submitted by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley and Naidu to Chairman Hamid Ansari.

Advani, who had embarked on a nation-wide 38-day yatra for good governance and clean politics, had announced at the culmination of the rally in New Delhi on November 20 that all NDA MPs from both Houses of Parliament will submit declarations clearly stating that they do not have any such bank accounts.

"BJP has set a model precedent. The party also wants an amendment in the Peoples' Representation Act so that candidates contesting elections have to declare that they do not have any illegal money in foreign banks," Naidu said.

However, National Democratic Alliance members have not submitted their declarations yet. Swaraj said the delay was caused as BJP had not yet sent the format of the declarations to Janata Dal-United, Shiromoni Akali Dal and Shiv Sena.