Who bribed the BJP MPs?

ON THE day the no confidence motion was moved against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government ie on Tuesday (July 22), three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of parliament (Members of Parliament) alleged in the Lok Sabha that each of them was promised three crore rupees to refrain from voting. To firm up the deal, each of them was advanced one crore rupees. The said MPs further alleged that the advance of three crore rupees (at one crore rupees apiece) was given by the secretary of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Amar Singh.
CNN-IBN, the TV channel, claimed that it was in possession of the relevant evidence - it was on video. The channel passed on the evidence to the Speaker of the house, Somnath Chatterjee. Presently, it is in the custody of the secretary of the Lok Sabha. According to reliable sources, the Speaker watched the video on Wednesday (July 23).

According to the said reliable source, the video shows the three MPs arriving at Singh’s bungalow on Lodhi Estate on Tuesday (July 22). A man, identified as Sanjeev Saxena addresses them at the drawing room. Another man tells them that the government should win the no-confidence motion and to ensure it, the three MPs should refrain from voting. Simultaneously, he hands them wads and wads of currency, telling them the money is theirs. The three MPs count the money in Saxena’s presence and leave Singh’s bungalow. Subsequently they are interviewed by CNN-IBN and this is also on video. According to the said source, the camera reveals Saxena’s face clearly. But the audio is not clear with the result that none can make out clearly what Saxena says or what the three MPs say. But the camera does not reveal Singh.

But SP maintains that Saxena is a former secretary of Singh, the general secretary of SP. The Parliamentary Secretariat is looking into the matter and if the evidence is found to be genuine, investigation will begin no sooner the Speaker gives permission.


more >> Meanwhile, Shakeel Ahmed, a senior Congress party leader, said that if the Speaker desired to air it, his party would not object to it. Asked to name the people behind ‘operation bribe’, he said that according to rumours, a chief minister’s wife and a leading industrialist, who were allegedly into a joint venture were behind the operation. The currency wads allegedly carried the seal of the State Bank of Indore although he was not sure of it. When asked to comment on the rumour that Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel was amongst those who bribed the MPs, Shakeel Ahmed remarked that Ahmed Patel had offered to quit public life if the same was proved.