B.J.P. M.Ps. REMOVED FROM THE PARTY.......

NEW DELHI: Speaking a day after the trust vote, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani said that cross-votings and abstentions helped the UPA government win the trust vote in Lok Sabha.

The BJP leader also demanded that Speaker Somanth Chatterjee should investigate the cash-for-votes scam immediately.

Advani termed the UPA victory as tainted and said that cash-for-votes scandal was like Bofors scam of 1989.

Meanwhile, acting tough, the BJP on Wednesday expelled all eight party MPs who cross-voted or abstained during the confidence motion in Lok Sabha.

The party also decided to launch a nationwide agitation against UPA on "corruption and degradation" of democratic values of the country.

BJP said the party cannot brook indiscipline in its ranks and decided to take extreme action against those MPs who violated the whip issued by the party to vote against the UPA government in the confidence motion.

"We were shocked that a number of MPs voted against the party directive," a senior leader, on condition of anonymity, said.

The sources also refuted allegations raised by BSP chief Mayawati that the NDA helped the government to sail through because they were opposed to a Dalit woman becoming Prime Minister.

Massive cross voting and abstentions from the Opposition, especially the NDA, helped the UPA score a comfortable victory in the confidence vote last night, belying all predictions of a close contest.

Main opposition BJP was the worst sufferer with six of its MPs voting in favour of the motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sombhai Patel, Babubhai Katara and Brijbhushan Sharan Singh were among the BJP MPs who voted in favour of the government, while Haribhau Rathod was among the party MPs who abstained.

Three BJP MPs, who were having tea in the Parliament House canteen, did not go to the House to cast their votes when the division bell rang in Parliament House.