Did not support bill on tainted MPs, govt is dishonest: Sushma

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Friday termed as "dishonest" and "mischievous" the government's contention that she had supported the ordinance on convicted lawmakers.

In a series of tweets, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that she has seen the "aide memoire" reportedly leaked by the government to the media.

"These are not minutes of all-party meeting. After going through this document, I must say that what is attributed to me in the all-party meeting is completely false," Swaraj said.

Union ministers had claimed that the BJP had agreed to the Bill on convicted Members of Parliament in the all-party meeting held on August 13 but backed out later when the Bill was moved in the Rajya Sabha.

"There was a discussion on two Bills. What I said in favour of the first Bill was clubbed with the second Bill that we opposed," Swaraj said, referring to the all-party meeting.

The BJP leader maintained that she and her party supported the first bill, which was against a court order that even if a person has been jailed for a day he or she would not be allowed to contest the elections, but was opposed to the proposed legislation on convicted lawmakers.

"This ‘aide memoire’ leaked by the government to the media is a case of dishonest and mischievous reporting," Swaraj said.

Earlier, Swaraj had strongly refuted the allegation by the Congress that the BJP supported the Bill on convicted MPs in the Lok Sabha but did not agree to it in the Upper House.

She pointed out that the Bill never came to the Lok Sabha. It was sent to the Standing Committee after being moved in the Rajya Sabha.

The BJP had on Thursday alleged that the government is trying to spread disinformation that the opposition had initially supported the Bill on convicted lawmakers but did a volte face later and insisted that it has been against the move from the beginning.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had said in an article posted on the BJP's website that the party is being compelled to clear the air as United Progressive Alliance ministers are "misleading" the people.