New twist in cash-for-vote scam: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) Seeking to corner BJP
following an "an unexpected turn of events" in cash-for-vote
row, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram Wednesday said the
investigations into the controversy will be widened to find if
a political party had "engineered" the sting operation ahead
of 2008 trust vote.
Chidambaram referred to the "unexpected turn of
events" in the Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, after
his party colleague Jayanthi Natrajan intervened to charge
that the television sting operation was "mounted" by BJP.
"This is exposed by Tehelka," she said attacking
Leader of the Oppostion Arun Jaitley.
Participating in the short duration discussion on
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on the WikiLeaks
expose of cash-for-vote controversy, Chidambaram said "today,
there has been a completely unexpected turn of events".
He said that with the fresh revealations, the
investigations being done by the Delhi Police would also
examine whether a particular party had "engineered" and
"manufactured" the sting operation to de-stablise a sitting
government in 2008.
He said journalists of CNN-IBN news channel, which
carried out the sting operation have been examined.
Siddhartha Gautam, one of these journalists, who had
left the country, has now made the statement.
"CNN-IBN has also been requested to facilitate
recording of the statement of Gautam," he said.
Further investigations, which will include sitting
Lok Sabha (Lower House) members, would be done, he said.
"...as far as sitting MPs are concerned, we will take
steps to request the Speaker, Lok Sabha, to concur on
examination of MPs," he said.
Asserting that it was wrong to say that the matter was
not being investigated, the Home Minister said the forensic
report would also be taken into account.
"I am told that the investigation will be completed
shortly...a decision will be taken about what further steps
should be taken," he said.
When senior BJP leader S S Ahluwalia objected to
Chidambaram quoting any newspaper report, the Home Minister
said he was not doing so and added "why are you defensive?
What are you afraid of ?"
In the Lok Sabha, it was HRD Minister Kapil Sibal who
took on BJP and said the oppostion party "wilfully" set out to
entrap the opponents in the cash-for-votes scam, according to
Tehelka.
"This is a story that stands to turn contemporary
discourse on its head. It is a dark story of how three main
stream political parties – and sections of the media – have
fooled the nation," he said adding Samajwadi Party
"voluntarily fell into the trap."

Sibal quoted a story on the cash-for-vote scam which
has appeared in Tehelka.com
"This is a story that stands to turn contemporary
discourse on its head. It is a dark story of how three main
stream political parties – and sections of the media – have
fooled the nation. It is a story of how the Bharatiya Janata
Party willfully set out to entrap the opponents in the
cash-for-votes scandal," he said.
Sibal said the story shows how Samajwadi Party
"voluntarily fell into the trap." Quoting the article, he said
the sting was not an independent journalistic exercise and
"was done in collaboration with a political party which is
BJP."
Sibal quoted Siddharth, a journalist involved in the
sting, as saying "between 8.30 pm and 9 pm, Rajdeep called me
and gave me a mobile number, which I was to call for further
instructions. The number turned out to be..."
The Minister said he would not name the person "but he
is the leader of the House in the other House.
He said the journalist was asked to call another
mobile number which was that of Sudheendra Kulkarni. Kulkarni
asked the scribe to rush to his house at Balwant Rai Mehta
Road.
He said it was a "desperate plan" to destabilize the
government with proof of horse trading.
He claimed Tehelka has the telephone numbers and the
conversations that were made during that night.