Yesterday in this post I had said,
But I did not know then that would be writing another one, yet again that too so soon.
Yesterday three most crucial witnesses deposed before the ‘Parliamentary Committee’ probing the charges of ‘Cash- for- Votes – Scandal.
These three are…
Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni: Shri Kulkarni is an important aide to Shri Advani and is a regular columnist for Indian Express. Shri Kulkarni felicitated the CNN IBN commissioned ‘Sting Operation’.
Shri Sohail Hindustani: The man who played the role of ‘middleman’ between Amar Singh, Ahmed Patel duo ( both Vote Managers) and three BJP (Whistle Blowers) MPs. Sohail and CNN IBN team planned and executed the ‘Sting Operation’ commissioned by Rajdeep’s Channel CNN IBN.
Sanjeev Saxena: Man who delivered 1 Crore Rs. To three whistle blower BJP MPs.
Thanks to my dear friend Offstumped for publishing the ‘Detailed Written Statements’ as made by TWO most Important witnesses before the Parliamentary Committee probing the Cash-For-Votes-Scandal.
Read at Offstumped full written statement of Shri Kulkarni.
Read at Offstumped full written statement of Sohail Hindustani.
I am posting some snippets from the statements of Shri Kulkarni and Shri Sohail. Full read of statements for clear understanding is highly recomended.
My commentary is as usual in ‘communal color’. 🙂
Shri Sohail Hindustani
213 A, MS Flats Quarters
Opposite R.M.L. Hospital
Baba Kharak Singh Marg
New Delhi – 1100 001
To
The Honourable Speaker
Lok Sabha
New Delhi
Subject: Witness statement in the ‘Cash-for-Votes’ scandal in Parliament on July 22, 2008 involving Shri Amar Singhji, General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Shri Ahmed Patelji, Political Secretary to the Congress President, and Shri Reoti Raman Singhji, MP and Samajwadi Party leader
… Around this time, I came to know from the “market” that a large number (over 15) of BJP and NDA MPs were being targeted by Shri Ahmed Patelji, Shri Amar Singhji and other leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi Party. I felt that the victory of Dr. Manmohan Singhji’s Government through defections from the BJP was neither good for the country nor good for the Party I support.
It is a known fact that many Congress CMs were camping in Delhi for the management of Votes. Read this…
I contacted Shri S.P. Guptaji, an IAS officer of Haryana cadre who works closely with Shri Bhupinder Singh Hoodaji, Chief Minister of Haryana. He is the chief administrator of the Housing Board of Haryana. He was with me for over an hour at the coffee shop of the India Islamic Centre. He took the list of MPs from me and said, “I don’t want any money in this deal. But if your list of MPs is pucca, I will take you to meet Shri Hoodaji and Shri Ahmed Patelji, who will discuss the deal with you.”
How and when Shri Kulkarni enters in the picture…
On July 21, at around 11.30 am, I phoned Shri Sudheendra Kulkarniji, a senior BJP activist who was OSD in the PMO when Shri Vajpayeeji was the Prime Minister. (His mobile number is 98109 33222). I have considerable respect for him due to my acquaintance with him when he used to live in the party full-timers’ rooms in the BJP headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road. He now works with Shri Advaniji. Therefore, I felt that he was the right person for me to convey the message that over a dozen BJP MPs were being approached by Congress-SP leaders.
Just look at who else is involved…
In the afternoon, at around 1.30 pm, Shri Guptaji phoned me and asked me to meet him at Claridges Hotel. He promised to arrange my meeting with Shri Ahmed Patelji. As we were having soup in the restaurant, two persons came to meet us — Shri Lovely Singh (son of Shri Buta Singhji, former Home minister and Governor of Bihar) and Shri Aman Arora, who was introduced as Shri Lovely Singh’s friend. They came in a black-coloured Honda CRB car.
Incidently Shri Buta Singh was ‘instrumental in JMM Bribery Scandal too ( PV Narsimha Rao Govt Trust Vote. Circa: 1993.) This reminds of an interesting saying in Northern India
Pita Par Poot (Son), Jaat (breed) Par Ghoda,
Bahut Nahin Tu Thoda Thoda. 🙂
Whistle blowers and CNN IBN.
Late in the afternoon of July 21, Shri Kulkarniji introduced me to three BJP Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) — Shri Ashok Argalji, Shri Mahavir Baghoraji and Shri Faggan Singh Kulasteji. Shri Kulkarni also told me that a team from CNN-IBN was coming soon to work closely with the three MPs, record their whistle-blowing operation and telecast it.
The rendezvous with Ahmed Patel…
As mentioned earlier, Shri Lovely Singh had arranged my meeting with Shri Ahmed Patelji at 7.30 pm at the latter residence on Willingdon Crescent. Since the CNN-IBN team had not yet arrived, I requested for the meeting to be rescheduled. I was then informed that I could bring the MPs to meet Shri Ahmed Patelji to Le Meridien Hotel.
CNN IBN suppressed the Truth…
I am constrained to state here that, in CNN-IBN’s August 11 telecast of its sting operation on the ‘Cash-for-Votes’ scandal, the channel hid the information from its viewers that the visit to Meridien Hotel was to meet Shri Ahmed Patelji. The channel also showed no clips of the Congress leaders whom the two BJP MPs and I met in the hotel lobby.
All set to ‘Sting’…
Apart from Shri Argalji and Shri Kulkarniji, I met two other persons from CNN-IBN there. One was Shri Saif Kidwai, who introduced himself as a producer, and a colleague of his whose name I do not know. Shri Siddharth Gautam of CNN-IBN told us that instead of going out to meet anybody with hidden cameras, it was better to invite the person to a safe room since the quality of recording would be much better. Accordingly, his team fitted cameras behind curtains in the drawing room in Shri Argalji’s house, and a listening device in an adjoining room.
CNN IBN team who recorded the ‘Sting’…
During this meeting, I was partly inside Shri Argalji’s drawing room and partly in the adjoining room where Shri Siddharth Gautam, Shri Saif Kidwai, Shri Sudesh and the fourth member from the CNN-IBN team were listening to the conversation in the drawing room. Shri Kulkarniji was also present in the adjoining room.
Here enters the ‘King Maker’ and his ‘management skills’ are apparent and all this ‘Dealing Wheeling’ only because Amar Singh Ji Maharaj was working in the best interest of India and was so impressed with the merits of ‘Nuclear Deal’ that too after just an hour long meeting with NSA. Come on do not kid me, PLEASE.
Shri Amar Singhji welcomed the three of us warmly and treated us to dates and dry grapes. He was wearing white pyjama and a kurta of sky-blue colour. Thanking me for bringing the two MPs to meet him, he claimed that he had already “managed” the support of 275-285 MPs to ensure the survival of the UPA Government. Nevertheless, since Shri Reoti Raman Singhji had arranged the meeting, he would pay Rs. 3 crore to each MP if they abstained from the trust vote. At this point, Shri Argalji and Shri Kulasteji mentioned to him that they had one more BJP MP willing to abstain. Shri Amar Singhji told them that he would pay the same amount to Shri Baghoraji.
After this, Shri Amar Singhji spoke to somebody and informed that person that three more BJP MPs had agreed to abstain from voting. Once the conversation was over, he told us, “Aap ke baare mein main ne PM ko bata diya hai.” (I have informed the PM about you.) He then phoned Shri Ahmed Patelji from his mobile and said, “I have three more Kamals (Lotuses) here.” He made the two MPs speak to Shri Ahmed Patelji. From the conversation I could make out that Shri Amar Singhji and Shri Ahmed Patelji were working in a coordinated manner.
Shri Amar Singhji offered to pay the MPs a token amount of Rs. one crore and asked them to carry it with them. Shri Argalji and Shri Kulasteji said, “Hum nahin le jayenge. Bahar mediawalen khade hain.” (We won’t take it with us since mediapersons are standing outside your house.) Shri Amar Singhji then promised to send the amount with his assistant, Shri Sanjeev Saxena, within 10-15 minutes. The remaining amount of Rs. 8 crore, he assured them, would be paid to them after the trust vote
As we were coming out of his drawing room, I told Shri Amar Singhji, “Thakur Sahab, aap Thakur ho kar Marwadi ki tarah baat karte ho. Teen karod to bahut kum rakam hain.” (Thakur Sahab, being a Thakur you are talking like a Marwadi. Three crores is too small an amount.) He smiled at me and said, “Aap der se aaye. Raat ko MPs ko le aate to Ahmedbhai bhi yahin pe the.” (You came late. If you had brought the MPs last night, Ahmed Patel was also here and they would have met him.” I then asked him, “Thakur Sahab, mera kya hoga?” (What about my share?) He said, “Aap ka saamaan hum ne Golf Course mein rakha hai. Vahan jaa ke utha lena.” (Your amount is kept at Golf Course. Pick it up from there.)
While entering Shri Amar Singh’s house, I had seen Shri Siddharth Gautam and his colleague Shri Saif Kidwai. Also present were reporters and cameramen from several other TV channels. While I was inside Shri Amar Singhji’s drawing room, Shri Siddharth Gautam (his mobile no. is 98996 92321) phoned me on my mobile (9999996060) and said, “Please tell me what time you are leaving Shri Amar Singh’s house, so that I’ll be ready to shoot your car coming out of the house. I want to tell you that a lot of other mediapersons are also standing here.” This can be checked from my mobile call records and those of Shri Siddharth Gautam. We left Shri Amar Singh’s house at 10.48 am.
We left Shri Amar Singhji’s house to return to Shri Argal’s house at around 10.30 am. Within 15 minutes, his assistant Shri Sanjeev Saxena, accompanied by a well-built person, arrived at 4 Ferozshah Road in a white Gypsy car no. DL-3C-S-8562. The number was noted by a member of Shri Argalji’s staff. Before ushering Shri Saxena and his colleague (who was carrying two pistols hidden behind his clothes) into the drawing room, I told him, “Meri Shri Amar Singhji se baat karao, yeh maal bahut kum hai. Hum is par sauda nahin karenge.” (Make me speak to Shri Amar Singhji, because this amount is too small. We’ll not do not do the deal at this rate.”) Shri Saxena put the call through to Shri Amar Singhji, who told me that he would double the rate to Rs. 6 crore per MP. “If this is acceptable, the deal is on. Otherwise, I’ll ask my man to return immediately.”
I have ‘quoted’ some interesting – hereto un-known facts, do read the full statement. Now here are some highlights from Shri Kulkarni’s written statement.
Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni…
Sudheendra Kulkarni
17 Balwantrai Mehta Lane
New Delhi – 110 001
August 14, 2008
To
The Honourable Speaker
Lok Sabha
New Delhi
I am submitting the following written submission to you as an eye-witness in the “Cash-for-Votes” scandal that rocked Parliament and shocked the nation on July 22.
Shri Kulkarni has been consistent and unequivocal in his ‘criticism and condemnation’ of the way ManMohan Singh ‘managed’ the confidence of MPs.
Consequent to the withdrawal of the Left parties’ support to the UPA Government on July 8 over the Indo-US nuclear deal, I was deeply agitated by the unethical and fraudulent manner in which the UPA Government started to cobble up majority support. Well before the ‘Cash-for-Votes’ scandal broke out on July 22, I gave expression to my angry feelings and agitated thoughts in two columns. (‘From ‘Lal Salaam’ to Dalal Salaam’, July 13, 2008 and ‘Polluting Parliamentary Democracy’, July 20, 2008) After the scandal broke out, I wrote about it in three consecutive columns. (‘Where is the Proof?’ Asked the PM, July 27 2008; ‘Parliament on Sale’, August 3 2008; and Solzhenitsyn, Lies and Videotape, August 10, 2008).
Much of what Shri Kulkarni say in this written statement is in agreement and corborates well with what Sohail Hindustani deposed before the Parliamentary committee probing the which I feel personally is: The molestation of democracy if not out rightly ‘rape attempt’.
Shameful indeed it is to know how the supposedly ‘Mr. Clean and Honesty Personified ‘ManMohan Singh’s government stooped down to secure majority of the house.
Possibly, PM might not have been aware of things – but then it reflects on his leadership and ability to head a government of a Billion strong Nation. Then, Morality and Politics had divorced long time back, isn’t it?
But the most shocking thing is the role played by the Media House. Media prides in self as ‘Watch Dogs’ of Society. And when the man whom you ‘trust’ to safe guard you, stabs in your back and becomes an accomplice in crime – in this case betraying the trust first than suppressing the facts of the case – WHAT YOU CALL SUCH PERSONS AS…?
George Shelley explains…
Prudent Indian
Truth must be unearthed, wherever buried, ‘Whatever it Takes’.
Tracking: Cash-for-Votes-Hide-the-Tapes-Scandal.
Related posts and updated links as the case progresses.
Amar Singh ‘Amar’ Raho.
ManMohan Singh/ Amar Singh Government Wins/ Manages the “TRUST” of India.
‘The Headmaster of a school for scandal’ by M.J.Akbar
Rajdeep Sardesai: Cash-for-Votes-and-Hide-the-Tape Scandal. ‘Hamam Mein Sab Nange Hain’, of course!
Rajdeep Sardesai: Answer Please, who disrobed Democracy?
Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose and their ‘Tunnel Vision Channel’ : CNN IBN.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Uuff! Skeletons have started tumbling out of Cupboard.
the punchline of cnn-ibn khabar har keemat par should be changed to CNN-IBN KHABAR SIRF KEEMAT DENE PAR
Very informative…
That was really n eye opener.. Very informative.. let the light spread..
basically all electonic media become unofficial spokes person of congress,so no wonder,be ready for BHARAT RATNA to RAJDEEP/PRANAB RAI/VINOD DUA
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