Whistleblowers should be protected: Advani
September 17th, 2011 - 10:27 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Upset over the arrest of two former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs in the cash-for-votes scandal, senior party leader L.K. Advani Saturday pitched for an effective legislation to protect whistleblowers.
On July 22, 2008, three BJP MPs waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha ahead of a trust vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.
Advani said in his blog that two former BJP MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Singh Bhagora and sitting parliamentarian Ashok Argal were approached by bribe-givers as they presumed the three law makers would be vulnerable.
“When on Sep 6 evening I heard that two of the three MPs who had acted as whistle blowers had been sent to jail, I did feel extremely upset,” he said.
“It made me say in the House on the last day of the session that I knew that they intended to place the entire bribe money on the Table of the House. If I felt that they were doing anything wrong, as Leader of the Party I would have stopped them,” he wrote.
“If, however, government thinks that what they have done is wrong and so has put them behind bars I would like to tell the Treasury Benches, I am even more guilty because I did not restrain them. Send me also to Tihar (Jail).”
Advani said that the three MPs who exposed the government’s dark deed have rendered a signal service to democracy.
“And Government, whose official report has emphasised that this kind of whistle blowing merits not only statutory protection but is an ethical act as well,” he added.
Kulaste and Bhagora were arrested along with former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh in the case.
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- Cash-for-votes: Kulkarni, four others walk out of Tihar (Lead) - Nov 17, 2011
- Cash-for-votes: Kulkarni, two BJP former MPs walk out of Tihar - Nov 17, 2011
- Gadkari meets jailed party colleagues in Tihar - Oct 31, 2011
- PM, Sonia must apologise for cash-for-votes scam: Gadkari (Lead) - Nov 20, 2011
- Cash-for-vote: Non-bailable warrant against Hindustani - Aug 14, 2012
- Cash-for-vote: Cops furnish CD transcripts to accused - May 26, 2012
- Meira Kumar sanctions prosecution of BJP MP Ashok Argal (Lead) - Sep 30, 2011
- Cash-for-votes: Government indeed tried to buy MPs, says BJP - Nov 17, 2011
- Cash-for-votes: Bail for Kulkarni, five others - Nov 16, 2011
- Cash-for-vote 'heroes' should have been given Padma awards: Venkaiah - Oct 21, 2011
- Cash-for-votes: BJP MP booked; bail pleas of three put off - Oct 03, 2011
- Sushma meets arrested BJP colleagues in Tihar - Oct 25, 2011
- Cash-for-votes: Police file supplementary chargesheet - Sep 30, 2011
Tags: argal, ashok, bharatiya janata party, bribe money, currency notes, dark deed, l k advani, Lok Sabha, mahavir, manmohan, manmohan singh, mps, parliamentarian, party leader, Samajwadi Party, signal service, statutory protection, trust vote, wads, whistle blowers