Cash-for-vote: Amar Singh appears for questioning

Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh Friday appeared before the Delhi Police for questioning in the cash-for-vote scam.

Singh drove to the Crime branch’s interstate cell in Chanakyapuri at 10.45 am in his Mercedes car. He did not speak to the waiting media persons before entering the complex.

Singh, the then general secretary of Samajwadi Party, is accused of sending bribe money to win over three BJP lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.

His appearance before the police comes after the Delhi Police issued summons to him under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code, asking him to present himself before the Crime branch.

The decision to call Singh for questioning comes after the arrest of Suhail Hindustani, who allegedly acted as a liaison between Singh and BJP MPs.

On Sunday, police had arrested Sanjeev Saxena, once considered close to Singh who allegedly delivered cash to the MPs to vote in favour of the UPA during the trust vote.

The arrests and fresh investigations into the case have come after Delhi Police was slammed by the Supreme Court last week for its “callous” approach in this case.

Besides Amar Singh, police is also expected to question Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh and BJP MP Ashok Argal.

Questioning of BJP leader L K Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, who allegedly was behind sting operation to trap the bribe-givers, is also likely to take place.

Cash for votes: Amar Singh likely to be questioned on Friday

Rajya Sabha Grants Permission to Question Amar Singh in the Cash For Votes scandal. The 2008 cash-for-votes scandal caught on camera by CNN-IBN has now saw a second arrest in the form of BJP worker Suhail Hindustani. He was arrested on Wednesday by the Delhi police for allegedly facilitating the cash transactions between Amar singh and BJP MPs. It is reported that the police is now set to question Amar Singh in connection with the case.

"I have nothing to hide, Amar Singh has the main role in this," Suhail Hindustani said on Wednesday.

Hindustani's alleged role in this deal was to assure BJP leader Sudheendra Kulkarni that he could talk to anyone from BJP MPs to top Congress leaders and could help in fixing a deal. He was present at the 'spot' where Amar Singh's close aid and secretary, Sanjeev Saxena, allegedly bought cash to bribe the BJP MPs.

Hindustani also had confessed before the parliamentary enquiry panel that he had worked closely with Kulkarni.

CNN-IBN has learnt that Amar Singh is likely to be questioned by the police on Friday. Sanjeev Saxena had named Singh as the man who paid the bribe which he merely transported to BJP MP Ashok Argal's house.

In the expose by CNN-IBN, Ashok Argal can be seen talking on phone (probably to Amar Singh) confirming that he had received the Rs 1 crore.

The police, however, is looking for more answers from Amar Singh. They want to know if he was the one who paid the entire amount himself or was there another contributor?

The police also want to know if he was in touch with any senior Congress leader?

There are other important questions which need to be answered. Why is the police making enquiries in this case after a gap of 3 years?

Will the investigation now only restrict itself to Amar Singh or will it also focus on the Congress?

Whose government was Amar Singh trying to save?

The answers to all these will be received once the police are done with their questioning in the probe.

BJP nominates Smriti Irani (Tulsi) for RS seat from Gujarat

Television-actor-turned politician Smriti Irani was on Saturday nominated by BJP as one its two candidates from Gujarat for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections.

Irani, who also heads the BJP's mahila morcha or women's wing, shot to fame with her role in a family soap opera. She was nominated as the party's candidate for the Upper House by BJP's central election committee here on Saturday.

Irani has been an active member of the party and a popular campaigner for elections since she joined the BJP in 2003. She had lost Delhi's Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat to Congress's Kapil Sibal in 2004.

Dilipbhai Pandya is the other BJP candidate from Gujarat who has been nominated for the Rajya Sabha. Pandya has been a minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet.