New Delhi:
A WikiLeaks cable from a US diplomat in India dated 2008 suggests that the Congress bought MPs to survive its crucial vote of confidence over the government's nuclear deal with the US.
The cable says that Nachiketa Kapur, described as the political aide of Congress leader Satish Sharma, told a US embassy employee that four MPs from Ajit Singh's party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, were paid Rs 10 crore each by the Congress.
There were repeated exhortations made by the BJP and the Left for the resignation of the Prime Minister over the issue.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
Take Action on `Cash for Votes'
The US embassy cable accessed by `The Hindu' through WikiLeaks that the Congress party paid bribes to Members of Parliament to win the confidence vote in July 2008 is an additional confirmation of a well-known fact. The `cash for vote' issue had erupted in the Lok Sabha on the day of the vote itself. But despite the trail of evidence, after an enquiry by a Parliamentary Committee, no action was taken.
The report sent by the US Charge d'Affaires should be the basis for the filing of a First Information Report and an investigation against Mr. Satish Sharma and Mr. Nachiketa Kapur.
The Congress leadership, including the Prime Minister, cannot escape their responsibility in this gross act of political malfeasance and bribery.