Keralam

23 Mar 2011

Facing a united Opposition attack in Parliament on Wednesday over the WikiLeaks disclosure, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly denied allegations that his government paid MPs cash for votes during a crucial floor test in 2008. "None from the Congress party or from the government indulged in any unlawful activity during trust vote...nor authorised anyone to indulge in such unlawful activity," Singh said in Lok Sabha. "We have chosen to go for what some embassy official write about us, I must warn the House that it's dangerous. Many persons referred in these cables have denied their involvement," he said.
Singh said that it was not possible for the government to confirm the veracity of the content of the embassy cables and that the panel probing the cash-for-votes case had insufficient evidence. Reflecting on the troubled situation in the Middle East, from where India sources the bulk of its oil needs, Singh said "we have instead chosen to be exercised about what some embassy official writes about us". "Parliament should reflect what we are doing to ourselves," he said. Referring to the opposition furore over the WikiLeaks reports purportedly based on secret American diplomatic cables, the prime minister added that it was easy for any embassy official to create strife in India just by planting some message and ensure it was leaked to political parties.

The general uproar and constant shouting by Opposition MPs overshadowed whatever cogency there may have been in the discussion over Singh's controversial statement on the cash-for-votes scam. Home Minister P Chaidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha that allegations that Parliament was engineered by a political party would be probed. “The committee set up to investigate the cash-for-votes (sting) was not able to draw any conclusions. Forensic report of the tape has been received and police is investigating the forensic report. Whatever engineering has taken place, we will continue to enjoy the confidence of the people,” Chidambaram said.

“There are allegations in the public domain, that it was not a sting operation to catch a government, this was a deliberate attempt to destabilize a sitting government, where a few parties were involved by identifying buyers, those who made these allegations that they have other elements of recording. While the police investigate evidences, am sure that these allegations too will be proved Not to be outdone, Congress MPs also shouted slogans as CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj took the floor. Swaraj made a stinging attack on Singh in the Lok Sabha telling him that as head of the government he should take responsibility instead of making others scapegoat for the omissions and commissions of his regime.

"It is the habit of the Prime Minister to blame others. If it is price rise then (Agriculture Minister) Sharad Pawar is responsible, if it is 2G then (former Telecom Minister) A Raja is responsible and if it is Commonwealth Games then (Suresh) Kalmadi is to blame," she said. "'I don't know anything, I am not aware of anything, there are coalition compulsions and I am not that much guilty as I am made out to be' ...the people are fed up with such excuses. They are asking why you are the Prime Minister," she said participating in a discussion.