BJP digs more dirt in ‘cash-for-vote’ scam

Monday, August 4, 2008 at 2:08 am

The BJP today (August 3) claimed to have gathered documentary evidence in the “cash for vote” scam and has submitted them before the Parliamentary committee probing the matter, its senior leader Arun Jaitley said.

The party, which inquired into the matter, has also written a 17-page letter to the Parliamentary committee headed by Congress member V Kishore Chandradeo, he said.

Jaitley said Samajwadi MP Reoti Raman Singh had offered his party MPs the cash. Singh made the offer on July 21st night.

He alleged that SP leader Amar Singh was behind the entire episode. “The investigating agencies did not do their job. So we inquired into the matter and gathered documentary evidence in the case,” Jaitley told reporters.

He alleged the ‘cash for vote’ scam, showing money being paid to get votes, reflects the subversion of Indian Parliament. He said there was subversion of a section of media also.

“One channel recorded it. It was waited that the channel would show the independent evidences. That did not happen. We saw subversion of a section of media,” he said.

Giving a virtual blow-by-blow account of the “events” of the scam, Jaitley said, “On the night of July 21, Reoti Raman Singh visits the MPs and repeatedly pleads with them that they should meet the man (allegedly Amar Singh) for just 10 minutes to finalise a deal.”

He claimed that a TV channel’s team had also followed Argal and Kulaste going in a car to Amar Singh’s house, entering the house and making an exit.

The most important aspect is the third phase when Sanjeev Saxena and another person reach the Ferozshah Road residence (of Argal), Jaitley alleged. “After delivering the cash, Saxena repeatedly calls Amar Singh from his mobile to facilitate a conversation of the MPs with him … when the phone gets disconnected several times (reportedly six times), Saxena dials on the landline of Amar Singh,” Jaitley said.

The conversation has been recorded and details of calls made by Saxena can be traced to show his movement from Amar Singh’s residence to Ferozshah road residence of Argal, claimed Jaitley.

He also gave details of the vehicle in which the cash was allegedly delivered by Saxena to the MPs and claimed the vehicle was registered in the name of a company owned by kin of Amar Singh. The address mentioned in the registration of the vehicle is of Amar Singh’s private residence in Greater Kailash, he added.

Jaitley also countered the claim made by Amar Singh that Saxena did not work for him by reading out an SMS sent from Saxena’s “mobile” to the national media inviting them for a press conference on the evening of July 20.

A combative Jaitley castigated the channel which conducted the sting operation but did not telecast it (the channel claimed the sting was inconclusive) and also blamed sections of the media.

“We have seen here along with the subversion of parliament, subversion of a section of the media. Those who had taken the responsibility of bringing out the truth have failed to do so. In the face of this subversion of truth, a political party had to conduct this investigation,” Jaitley said.

Jaitley said that there is “an independent witness as well” in this case, along with the statement of the three MPs and the transcripts of the sting video.

The 17-page letter was signed by Ashok Argal and Faggan Singh Kulaste. The third MP, Mahavir Bhagore, has been admitted in a Ahmedabad hospital for a by-pass surgery.

Jaitley said the “fake” sting operation, CDs of which were released by Uma Bharati, had many “gaps” and was a “hit-wicket”. “The fact (is) that Sanjeev Saxena (who was reportedly untraceable after July 22), was available to Amar Singh as way back as July 25 for play-acting in a fake CD,” he alleged.

He further said that creating false evidence was itself an evidence of guilt.

The BJP leader said, “Indian democracy and its fairness is now on trial … Our MPs have told the committee that it should get phone call details … and the audio, video and transcript should be married to do a complete investigation.”

Cong dismisses BJP’s fresh charges

Congress, meanwhile, dismissed BJP’s fresh charges in the ‘cash for vote’ scam as “an old wine in
old bottle” and sought to wash its hands off the matter by saying that “not even an allegation has been made” against the party.

“As far as the other non-Congress entities are concerned these are mere allegations which are required to be proved before the Parliamentary committee going into the issue,” party Spokespersons Abhishek Singhvi told news agencies.

He said if the BJP has failed in Parliament it should await the committee’s proceedings and findings and should not “try to create drama in the media everyday”.

Singhvi said the BJP’s latest allegation was nothing but “old wine in old bottle. They are simply repeating same old allegations which they have made since the trust vote.”

(With inputs from PTI)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

BJP digs more dirt in ‘cash-for-vote’ scam

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