Cash-for-vote scam: Delhi Police notice to former BJP worker

 
       New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Taking forward its probe in the
 cash-for-vote scam, Delhi Police on Tuesday summoned former
 BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) worker Suhail Hindustani to
 appear before it as it initiated the possible process to
 question Amar Singh, whom BJP MPs (Member of Parliament)
 alleged was behind the operation to bribe them.
       While a letter was sent to the Home Ministry a couple of
 days ago seeking its views and directions on questioning Singh
 and Ashok Argal, investigators issued a notice to Hindustani,
 an alleged conduit between Singh and BJP MPs in the July 2008
 during trust vote, to join investigations on Wednesday.
       Hindustani, who claimed that he was earlier a BJP youth
 wing Yuva Morcha member, has been asked to appear before Crime
 Branch for questioning on Wednesday, a senior police official
 said.
       This comes two days after Sanjeev Saxena, once considered
 close to Singh who allegedly delivered cash to the MPs to vote
 in favour of the UPA during trust vote, was arrested.
       Argal and former MP Bhagora, who were approached
 allegedly by Saxena to vote in favour of UPA, claimed that
 accused Saxena had told them that the money was given by the
 former SP (Samajwadi Party) leader.
       Argal said, "Saxena is related to Amar Singh. Records
 are there (to prove it). Saxena said he brought the money from
 Amar Singh's place." Bhagora also echoed Argal and alleged
 Saxena told him that he was coming from Singh's residence and
 the money was sent by him.
       The police may also question Sudheendra Kulkarni, a
 former aide of L K Advani, whose role a Parliamentary panel
 said should be investigated in connection with the scam.
        Meanwhile, Union Minister Kishore Chandra Deo, who
 headed a Parliamentary Committee to probe the scam, sought to
 justify his decision of not questioning Singh arguing there
 was no "prima facie evidence".

LD VOTE 2 LAST
       Deo insisted that there was no evidence to show that the
 government had tried to buy MPs to vote for it during the
 confidence motion and said he stood vindicated by the action
 taken by the Delhi Police in the case.
       During the questioning, police sources said, Saxena told
 investigators that he got the money from Singh but he was not
 sure whether the whole money came from the former SP leader.
       "He is not sure whether the whole fund came from Singh.
 He does not know whether any other person was involved in the
 funding. We are trying to piece together the sequence of
 events," the official said.
       Saxena also told police that he made a number of calls
 to Singh on July 21 and 22 of 2008 before and after the cash
 was delivered to the MPs.
       A flurry of activities in the case came as the Supreme
 Court rapped the Delhi Police for its "callous" approach in
 probing the case. The police filed an FIR in 2008 after a
 Parliamentary panel recommended it to investigate the case.
       BJP MPs had displayed wads of cash in the Lok Sabha on
 July 22, 2008 alleging that their MPs Argal, Faggan Singh
 Kulaste and Bhagora were given money by Saxena at the behest
 of Singh and others to vote in favour of the government.
       Police is also looking for a driver, Sanjay, who took
 Saxena to the houses of the MPs and a mobile phone used by him
 to make calls while delivering the cash.
       Investigators submitted that two out of three BJP MPs
 -- Kulaste and Bhagora -- have stated that on July 22, 2008,
 Saxena delivered money to them and Argal at the latter's
 residence here. Kulaste had earlier alleged that Saxena was
 introduced to him and Argal by Singh as his secretary.
       The official said the statements of the MPs stood
 corroborated with the recorded videos of a news channel as
 these DVDs have been examined. The CFSL reports suggest that
 the DVDs have not been tampered with. PTI SJY
 ANJ