CPI-M demands higher probe into vote-buying charge
March 23rd, 2011 - 7:32 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday demanded that probe into the alleged bribery of MPs to buy their votes in a trust vote in 2008 should be carried out by a bigger agency than the Delhi Police.
The party said the investigation must cover all the circumstances relating to the controversy.
Taking part in the discussion on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement in the parliament relating to 2008 trust vote in the wake of the WikiLeaks expose, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said a Delhi Police probe was insufficient.
He said the United Progressive Alliance government (UPA) was reduced to minority after the Left parties withdrew their support to the government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Yechury added that the manner in which the government got majority raised a lot of doubts and was a “grave affront to democracy”.
He stressed that the CPI-M has always maintained that the nuclear deal was not in the interest of the country. The government needed a majority not only to finalise the nuclear deal but also to carry forward strategic understanding with the United States.
“That’s why US diplomats were visiting houses of Congress leaders,” Yechury charged.
According to him, issues including “US interference into the country’s internal affairs” were relevant to probe into cash-for-votes scam of 2008.
He said the US secretary of state had told India’s foreign minister about the damaging potential of the WikiLeaks cable leaks.
“That itself shows the content is verifiable,” Yechury said.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BJP) member Satish Chandra Misra demanded a judicial probe into the issue. He said Delhi Police, which has registered a first information report (FIR) on it after the opposition lodged a complaint, had not conducted a speedy investigation.
The controversy arose after some of the US embassy cables leaked by WikiLeaks recently referred to the ruling Congress party’s alleged attempt to garner support for the government during the 2008 trust vote by bribing MPs.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told the parliament last week that the panel which probed the bribe-for-votes charge in 2008 had found insufficient evidence to draw any such conclusion and categorically denied that any vote-buying was involved or authorised.
- No bribery during 2008 trust vote, says PM - Mar 23, 2011
- BJP signals normal functioning of parliament Wednesday - Mar 22, 2011
- PM has no authority to continue: Third Front - Mar 17, 2011
- Nachiketa denies all information about payoffs to MPs - Mar 17, 2011
- Advani hasn't denied expose on BJP: Yashwant Sinha - Mar 23, 2011
- Time line of cash-for-vote scandal - Mar 17, 2011
- File FIR against Satish Sharma, Kapur, says CPI-M - Mar 17, 2011
- PM 'rejects firmly' bribery allegation on 2008 trust vote (Lead) - Mar 18, 2011
- India's Prime Minister rejects bribery accusations in 2008 confidence vote - Mar 18, 2011
- No double standards on n-deal, want WikiLeaks probed: BJP - Mar 19, 2011
- Antony advises caution on WikiLeaks - Mar 18, 2011
- BJP to serve breach of privilege notice against PM - Mar 21, 2011
- PM on Wiki disclosures: I have not authorised anyone to purchase votes - Mar 18, 2011
- WikiLeaks: BJP's double standards exposed, says Moily - Mar 19, 2011
- No plans for no-confidence motion: Sharad Yadav - Mar 21, 2011
Tags: alliance government, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, congress leaders, congress party, delhi police, information report, judicial probe, left parties, manmohan singh, misra, nuclear deal, police probe, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, progressive alliance, sitaram yechury, speedy investigation, trust vote, us secretary of state