Cash-for-votes scam: Opposition targets PM in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, Mar 23 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Opposition continued to attack the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in the Lok Sabha today over the latest WikiLeaks cable on the cash-for-votes scandal.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj criticizing the Prime Minister for his statement over the issue, demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the exposure.

"The PM is accountable...he can't keep putting blame on others. Calling cables unverifiable is equal to avoiding the truth. It is the habit of the Prime Minister to blame others. If it is price rise then (Agriculture Minister) Sharad Pawar is responsible, if it is 2G then (former Telecom Minister) A Raja is responsible and if it is Commonwealth Games then (Suresh) Kalmadi is to blame," said BJP veteran Swaraj.

"I don't know anything, I am not aware of anything, there are coalition compulsions and I am not that much guilty as I am made out to be' ...the people are fed up with such excuses. They are asking why you are the Prime Minister," she added, while participating in a discussion.

Meanwhile, senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta accused the Prime Minister of resorting to 'parliamentary piracy' to win the vote of confidence in 2008.

"The report of a Parliamentary panel on the scam had clearly recommended "investigation by an appropriate agency" into the alleged attempts to purchase votes to win the trust vote on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal," he said and demanded that Dr. Singh should come out clean.

Dr. Singh had claimed last week that Members of Parliament were not bribed during the July 2008 trust vote even though the Parliamentary probe committee said that money was paid.

The Prime Minister had told Parliament last week that no bribe was paid, while the Kishore Chandra Deo committee that looked into the issue had stated that bribe was paid.

Demanding that the Prime Minister should come out clean over the issue, Dasgupta further said: "I concede that the PM was precise in his statement and the statement was cogent. PM was very prompt in throwing the ball in the court of the Opposition, his tone was very firm, normally he is not. He was firm in rejecting the complaints on cash-for-votes during the last no confidence motion."

The Prime Minister is expected to respond to the Opposition's charges against him today. (ANI)