New Delhi:
There was uproar in Parliament again today over the cash-for-votes scandal, that has come back to haunt the government after the release of a WikiLeaks cable.
When the House met for the day, the Opposition was in no mood to tone down the blistering attack it launched yesterday. "We want the PM to come to the House and explain," said BJP's Sushma Swaraj. Other Opposition leaders also joined in to attack the government, alleging that it has been functioning in a continuum of corruption. Following the ruckus, the Lok Sabha was first adjourned till 12:15 pm and then till 2 pm. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2:30 pm. The PM will make a statement in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm.
The WikiLeaks cable released early on Thursday morning suggests that the Congress bought the support of MPs during a vote of confidence in 2008. The Indians cast in the cable have denied its claims and the government has struck a defiant pose - Pranab Mukherjee said in Parliament on Thursday that he will not confirm or deny the contents because the matter ended with the last Lok Sabha (the UPA was re-elected in May 2009) - but it certainly is fresh ammunition for the Opposition.
"We want the PM to come and explain and if he can't answer these questions, he must quit, I want the PM to honestly ask himself the question - Was money paid in July 2008 or not? If this is a fact, then forget resigning as PM, he must quit public life," said BJP's Arun Jaitley, speaking to NDTV. (Watch)
When asked if the Opposition will let Parliament function till it hears from the Prime Minister, he said, "The principle responsibility of allowing Parliament to function lies with the government. The government has to come out with a strategy and make sure that the Parliament functions.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani had also said on Thursday that "the PM must take responsibility and resign...he has no moral authority to lead the government." "This government must quit," he added. (Watch - Advani to NDTV: This is the weakest PM ever)
On July 22 2008, Dr Manmohan Singh won the vote of confidence by a slim margin. The Left had quit the government over India's nuclear deal with the US. In the days leading upto the vote, there were hectic political negotiations to win new friends and influence people.
It is in that context that a cable was sent on July 17 by the US Charge d'Affaires Steven White, in which he described a visit by the Embassy's Political Counselor to senior Congress leader Satish Sharma, known for his proximity to the Gandhi family.
The cable states: "Sharma's political aide Nachiketa Kapur mentioned to an Embassy staff member in an aside on July 16 that Ajit Singh's RLD had been paid Rupees 10 crore (about $2.5 million) for each of their four MPs to support the government. Kapur mentioned that money was not an issue at all, but the crucial thing was to ensure that those who took the money would vote for the government." (Read entire cable here) | (Watch: Ajit Singh denies his MPs were bribed)
Mr White also says that "Kapur showed the Embassy employee two chests containing cash and said that around Rupees 50-60 crore (about $25 million) was lying around the house for use as pay-offs."
Ajit Singh has said that Mr White got basic facts wrong. For example, the cable incorrectly states that he had four MPs instead of three. And he says that in contrast to the cable's allegations, his party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, voted against the government, not for it. Mr Sharma said that Mr Kapur, described as his political aide, has never worked with him. "He may be an acquaintance...I know so many people but he was not a political aide," said the Congress leader. Mr Kapur seconded that. He once worked with former union minister Renuka Chowdhury as her secretary, but was fired on charges of corruption. About his starring role in the WikiLeaks controversy, he said, "These are malicious allegations... I was not in horse trading, I have not worked with Captain Satish Sharma as his political aide, that's not true...I have not witnessed any meeting or witnessed anything."
That didn't dilute the Opposition's determination to target the government for what Mr Jaitley labeled its "political and moral sin." Prakash Karat, who heads the CPM, said that the Left wants a criminal case to be filed immediately to investigate the allegations against the government. He also vowed to make this a major campaign issue in the elections to states that vote next month- they include Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. People will know, he said, that "Congress stands for Corruption with a capital C," he said. (Read: Left's statement on WikiLeaks cash-for-votes)
On behalf of the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in reference to the WikiLeaks cable: "Correspondence between a sovereign government and its mission enjoys diplomatic immunity. There is no question of denying or confirming." Pointing out that the UPA was re-elected to power in May 2009, he went on to say, "Whatever has happened in 14th Lok Sabha cannot be raised in 15th Lok Sabha."
The cash-for-votes scam erupted on July 22, 2008 hours before the vote of confidence took place. Three BJP MPs walked into the Lok Sabha with cash that they said added upto three crores. They claimed that that they had been offered this money to vote for the nuclear deal and had planned a sting operation to prove this.
A Lok Sabha committee, headed by Congress MP KCS Deo, was set up to examine their allegations, but found that there was no evidence of the BJP's claims. Mr Deo told NDTV on Thursday that he does not believe the WikiLeaks revelation merits a re-examination of what transpired.
When the House met for the day, the Opposition was in no mood to tone down the blistering attack it launched yesterday. "We want the PM to come to the House and explain," said BJP's Sushma Swaraj. Other Opposition leaders also joined in to attack the government, alleging that it has been functioning in a continuum of corruption. Following the ruckus, the Lok Sabha was first adjourned till 12:15 pm and then till 2 pm. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2:30 pm. The PM will make a statement in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm.
The WikiLeaks cable released early on Thursday morning suggests that the Congress bought the support of MPs during a vote of confidence in 2008. The Indians cast in the cable have denied its claims and the government has struck a defiant pose - Pranab Mukherjee said in Parliament on Thursday that he will not confirm or deny the contents because the matter ended with the last Lok Sabha (the UPA was re-elected in May 2009) - but it certainly is fresh ammunition for the Opposition.
"We want the PM to come and explain and if he can't answer these questions, he must quit, I want the PM to honestly ask himself the question - Was money paid in July 2008 or not? If this is a fact, then forget resigning as PM, he must quit public life," said BJP's Arun Jaitley, speaking to NDTV. (Watch)
When asked if the Opposition will let Parliament function till it hears from the Prime Minister, he said, "The principle responsibility of allowing Parliament to function lies with the government. The government has to come out with a strategy and make sure that the Parliament functions.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani had also said on Thursday that "the PM must take responsibility and resign...he has no moral authority to lead the government." "This government must quit," he added. (Watch - Advani to NDTV: This is the weakest PM ever)
On July 22 2008, Dr Manmohan Singh won the vote of confidence by a slim margin. The Left had quit the government over India's nuclear deal with the US. In the days leading upto the vote, there were hectic political negotiations to win new friends and influence people.
It is in that context that a cable was sent on July 17 by the US Charge d'Affaires Steven White, in which he described a visit by the Embassy's Political Counselor to senior Congress leader Satish Sharma, known for his proximity to the Gandhi family.
The cable states: "Sharma's political aide Nachiketa Kapur mentioned to an Embassy staff member in an aside on July 16 that Ajit Singh's RLD had been paid Rupees 10 crore (about $2.5 million) for each of their four MPs to support the government. Kapur mentioned that money was not an issue at all, but the crucial thing was to ensure that those who took the money would vote for the government." (Read entire cable here) | (Watch: Ajit Singh denies his MPs were bribed)
Mr White also says that "Kapur showed the Embassy employee two chests containing cash and said that around Rupees 50-60 crore (about $25 million) was lying around the house for use as pay-offs."
Ajit Singh has said that Mr White got basic facts wrong. For example, the cable incorrectly states that he had four MPs instead of three. And he says that in contrast to the cable's allegations, his party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, voted against the government, not for it. Mr Sharma said that Mr Kapur, described as his political aide, has never worked with him. "He may be an acquaintance...I know so many people but he was not a political aide," said the Congress leader. Mr Kapur seconded that. He once worked with former union minister Renuka Chowdhury as her secretary, but was fired on charges of corruption. About his starring role in the WikiLeaks controversy, he said, "These are malicious allegations... I was not in horse trading, I have not worked with Captain Satish Sharma as his political aide, that's not true...I have not witnessed any meeting or witnessed anything."
That didn't dilute the Opposition's determination to target the government for what Mr Jaitley labeled its "political and moral sin." Prakash Karat, who heads the CPM, said that the Left wants a criminal case to be filed immediately to investigate the allegations against the government. He also vowed to make this a major campaign issue in the elections to states that vote next month- they include Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. People will know, he said, that "Congress stands for Corruption with a capital C," he said. (Read: Left's statement on WikiLeaks cash-for-votes)
On behalf of the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in reference to the WikiLeaks cable: "Correspondence between a sovereign government and its mission enjoys diplomatic immunity. There is no question of denying or confirming." Pointing out that the UPA was re-elected to power in May 2009, he went on to say, "Whatever has happened in 14th Lok Sabha cannot be raised in 15th Lok Sabha."
The cash-for-votes scam erupted on July 22, 2008 hours before the vote of confidence took place. Three BJP MPs walked into the Lok Sabha with cash that they said added upto three crores. They claimed that that they had been offered this money to vote for the nuclear deal and had planned a sting operation to prove this.
A Lok Sabha committee, headed by Congress MP KCS Deo, was set up to examine their allegations, but found that there was no evidence of the BJP's claims. Mr Deo told NDTV on Thursday that he does not believe the WikiLeaks revelation merits a re-examination of what transpired.
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