The Hindu : Front Page : BJP stage-managed MPs’ bribery scam, charge UPA allies

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Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008
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BJP stage-managed MPs’ bribery scam, charge UPA allies

Aarti Dhar

“Sting operation was mounted with an eye on elections”

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

COUNTER-ATTACK: Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh, Lok Jan Shakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan, SP leaders Amar Singh and Jayaprada watching a video clip of the cash-for-votes scam in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: Three United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stage-managing the “cash for vote” scam for political gains.

Addressing a joint press conference here, leaders of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) said the BJP could be charged with suppression of truth as it did not report the matter to the police when a bribe was allegedly offered to its MPs.

A CD was shown to the media as ‘proof’ that it was a BJP act. “All the claims of the BJP leaders have been proved wrong,” SP chief Mulayam Singh said. He said when some people visited the BJP MP Ashok Argal’s house to deliver money, the matter should have been reported to the police and fingerprints immediately lifted.

The CD shows Faggan Singh Kulaste (BJP MP) admitting that the show was planned by his party and that he had never met Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh at his residence. “The entire incident was cooked up by the BJP to make it an issue in the next elections,” Mr. Mulayam Singh alleged. The disc shows Mr. Amar Singh’s alleged aide Sanjeev Saxena going inside the BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s house and coming out with a heavy bag suggesting that the money for the “bribe” was arranged by him.

Mr. Amar Singh, accused of being involved in the scam, questioned the integrity of the BJP leaders. He said that assuming he had given the money the complainants should have asked for a forensic test.

On Sanjeev Saxena’s role, the Samajwadi Party leaders said that he was close to Shahid Siddiqui and had left the party along with him to join the Bahujan Samaj Party. Being probed on the SMS sent by him on behalf of the party, they said he (Mr. Saxena) had disassociated himself from the party on July 20.

Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP) said the three MPs should have informed the Lok Sabha Speaker when the offer was made to them. Why were the people entertained and allowed to bring the money, he sought to know.

“No one believed it”

Demanding that a narco-analysis test be carried out on the MPs who made the allegation, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said the BJP had been “exposed” and no one actually believed the scam.

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