New Delhi: It was a day of ferocious drama in the court that's handling the cash-for-votes scam. First, Suhail collapsed in court, and was moved to hospital in a wheelchair. Then lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who is representing politician Amar Singh, changed his version of events substantially.
Mr Hindustani was arrested in July for helping to bribe three BJP MPs to support the government in a trust vote in 2008. After he crumpled to the ground, wincing in pain, he was seated in a wheelchair and taken to a nearby hospital.
Mr Hindustani, according to the Delhi Police, acted on the instructions of Amar Singh, currently a Rajya Sabha MP. Mr Singh was at the time of the trust vote a senior member of the Samajwadi Party. Mr Singh was also arrested for masterminding the conspiracy to buy MPs' votes; but last week, he was granted bail for a few days for medical reasons. He will find out today if that bail will be extended.
The Delhi Police has not explained on whose behalf Mr Singh acted while bribing the trio of BJP MPs. Opposition parties like the BJP have alleged that since the Prime Minister was the intended beneficiary of Mr Singh's actions, he should explain his party's stand.
The police has also accused former BJP advisor, Sudheendra Kulkarni, of asking party MPs to offer themselves "for sale" ahead of the trust vote for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mr Kulkarni was scheduled to show up in court today but failed to do so, provoking criticism from the judge, who said, "He should have appeared on the said date." In earlier interviews, Mr Kulkarni has said that he wanted to expose the UPA government's willingness to buy votes.
Mr Jethmalani last week surprised many including his own party, the BJP, when he said that the money used to bribe the MPs - one crore - was likely to have been organised by the BJP. Today, he said that was not the case. Instead, he said that Congress leaders had sourced the money that was paid to the MPs - Mahavir Bhagora, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Ashok Argal. They held up this money in the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, hours ahead of the trust vote, which Dr Manmohan Singh survived. The MPs later said that one crore was paid to them as an advance to abstain during the vote; the deal, they claim, was for three crores per vote.
Mr Hindustani was arrested in July for helping to bribe three BJP MPs to support the government in a trust vote in 2008. After he crumpled to the ground, wincing in pain, he was seated in a wheelchair and taken to a nearby hospital.
Mr Hindustani, according to the Delhi Police, acted on the instructions of Amar Singh, currently a Rajya Sabha MP. Mr Singh was at the time of the trust vote a senior member of the Samajwadi Party. Mr Singh was also arrested for masterminding the conspiracy to buy MPs' votes; but last week, he was granted bail for a few days for medical reasons. He will find out today if that bail will be extended.
The Delhi Police has not explained on whose behalf Mr Singh acted while bribing the trio of BJP MPs. Opposition parties like the BJP have alleged that since the Prime Minister was the intended beneficiary of Mr Singh's actions, he should explain his party's stand.
The police has also accused former BJP advisor, Sudheendra Kulkarni, of asking party MPs to offer themselves "for sale" ahead of the trust vote for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mr Kulkarni was scheduled to show up in court today but failed to do so, provoking criticism from the judge, who said, "He should have appeared on the said date." In earlier interviews, Mr Kulkarni has said that he wanted to expose the UPA government's willingness to buy votes.
Mr Jethmalani last week surprised many including his own party, the BJP, when he said that the money used to bribe the MPs - one crore - was likely to have been organised by the BJP. Today, he said that was not the case. Instead, he said that Congress leaders had sourced the money that was paid to the MPs - Mahavir Bhagora, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Ashok Argal. They held up this money in the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, hours ahead of the trust vote, which Dr Manmohan Singh survived. The MPs later said that one crore was paid to them as an advance to abstain during the vote; the deal, they claim, was for three crores per vote.
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