New Delhi: Delhi Police have made clear that no clean chit has been given to any politician in the cash-for-votes scam yet. Sources say investigations are still on and several politicians are still under the scanner, including former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh.
The police sources rubbished a newspaper report today that claimed that the Delhi Police had found no politician guilty and that its investigation was now focused on a middleman it had arrested called Suhail Hindustani. The police deny this and sources claimed that they have clear evidence of what they call "Amar Singh's complicity in the case". And that several BJP MPs too are still being investigated.
The police will file a status report before the Supreme Court on August 5, the sources said.
Amar Singh was questioned by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch last month over his alleged involvement in the infamous 2008 scandal. Mr Singh is accused by the BJP of buying MPs to save the first UPA government. The police have claimed it has evidence that links Amar Singh to one of the two men arrested for trying to bribe three BJP MPs. Mr Singh has steadfastly said he was not involved in the scandal.
Three MPs stormed into the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, waving bundles of cash, hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trust vote. They claimed they had been offered a crore by men acting on behalf of Mr Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP. The PM won the vote.
The BJP MPs at the heart of the scandal are Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. At the time of the no-confidence vote, Mr Singh's Samajwadi Party was a crucial ally of the UPA coalition at the Centre - it provided the PM external support.
The Delhi Police have arrested two men in the case - Sanjeev Saxena and Sohail Hindustani. Mr Saxena is allegedly caught on hidden camera offering the money to the BJP MPs, who say he introduced himself to them as Mr Singh's secretary. Mr Singh had denied that Mr Saxena was ever his aide, but the police have documents including a note from Mr Singh intended to help Mr Saxena's son get admission in a college. The letter clearly introduces Mr Saxena as his secretary.
The police have also extensively questioned Mr Hindustani. He allegedly tried to shop the BJP MPs around to Congress leaders before the trust vote. Several turned down his offer, according to the police. They claim that Mr Hindustani then approached the Samajwadi Party via its leader Rewati Raman Singh. The police believe that Amar Singh did not depute Mr Hindustani to find BJP MPs who could be bought. Rather, Mr Hindustani knocked on the doors of the Samajwadi Party, promising that he could deliver three BJP MPs.
Mr Hindustani's lawyers, who describe him as "a whistle-blower", accused the police of "giving a clean chit to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party" even before the investigations got into full swing. The BJP concurred.
The BJP's own role has also been questioned. A report in the Tehelka newsmagazine earlier this year revealed that the party may have urged its MPs to put themselves on the market ahead of the trust vote, in the hope of exposing the UPA's willingness to buy support. This is why, some say, the BJP also co-opted a TV channel to shoot the negotiations between the MPs, Mr Saxena and Mr Hindustani.
Police started investigating afresh the allegation of MPs being bribed following a rebuke from Supreme Court. Responding to a PIL, the court took exception to Delhi Police's lethargy in investigating the sensational case of political corruption. Its response to the findings, although preliminary, of the police will be worth watching.
The UPA government had been forced to take the trust vote and scout for support from outside after 61 members belonging to Left in the Lok Sabha pulled out to protest against the PM's insistence on going ahead with the nuclear deal.
The police sources rubbished a newspaper report today that claimed that the Delhi Police had found no politician guilty and that its investigation was now focused on a middleman it had arrested called Suhail Hindustani. The police deny this and sources claimed that they have clear evidence of what they call "Amar Singh's complicity in the case". And that several BJP MPs too are still being investigated.
The police will file a status report before the Supreme Court on August 5, the sources said.
Amar Singh was questioned by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch last month over his alleged involvement in the infamous 2008 scandal. Mr Singh is accused by the BJP of buying MPs to save the first UPA government. The police have claimed it has evidence that links Amar Singh to one of the two men arrested for trying to bribe three BJP MPs. Mr Singh has steadfastly said he was not involved in the scandal.
Three MPs stormed into the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, waving bundles of cash, hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trust vote. They claimed they had been offered a crore by men acting on behalf of Mr Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP. The PM won the vote.
The BJP MPs at the heart of the scandal are Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. At the time of the no-confidence vote, Mr Singh's Samajwadi Party was a crucial ally of the UPA coalition at the Centre - it provided the PM external support.
The Delhi Police have arrested two men in the case - Sanjeev Saxena and Sohail Hindustani. Mr Saxena is allegedly caught on hidden camera offering the money to the BJP MPs, who say he introduced himself to them as Mr Singh's secretary. Mr Singh had denied that Mr Saxena was ever his aide, but the police have documents including a note from Mr Singh intended to help Mr Saxena's son get admission in a college. The letter clearly introduces Mr Saxena as his secretary.
The police have also extensively questioned Mr Hindustani. He allegedly tried to shop the BJP MPs around to Congress leaders before the trust vote. Several turned down his offer, according to the police. They claim that Mr Hindustani then approached the Samajwadi Party via its leader Rewati Raman Singh. The police believe that Amar Singh did not depute Mr Hindustani to find BJP MPs who could be bought. Rather, Mr Hindustani knocked on the doors of the Samajwadi Party, promising that he could deliver three BJP MPs.
Mr Hindustani's lawyers, who describe him as "a whistle-blower", accused the police of "giving a clean chit to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party" even before the investigations got into full swing. The BJP concurred.
The BJP's own role has also been questioned. A report in the Tehelka newsmagazine earlier this year revealed that the party may have urged its MPs to put themselves on the market ahead of the trust vote, in the hope of exposing the UPA's willingness to buy support. This is why, some say, the BJP also co-opted a TV channel to shoot the negotiations between the MPs, Mr Saxena and Mr Hindustani.
Police started investigating afresh the allegation of MPs being bribed following a rebuke from Supreme Court. Responding to a PIL, the court took exception to Delhi Police's lethargy in investigating the sensational case of political corruption. Its response to the findings, although preliminary, of the police will be worth watching.
The UPA government had been forced to take the trust vote and scout for support from outside after 61 members belonging to Left in the Lok Sabha pulled out to protest against the PM's insistence on going ahead with the nuclear deal.
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