Piles of cash to bribe Indian MPs: WikiLeaks

[Devil Soul]

Piles of cash to bribe Indian MPs: WikiLeaks
Updated at 1709 PST Thursday, March 17, 2011
NEW DELHI: A United States embassy employee witnessed piles of bank notes being prepared to bribe Indian MPs ahead of a crucial 2008 vote of confidence in parliament, leaked diplomatic cables alleged Thursday.

Opposition parties held protests in both houses of parliament demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government resign over the claims, the latest in a string of damaging graft accusations.

The US staffer in New Delhi was shown "two chests containing cash" by an aide to a senior ruling-party politician and was also told $25 million was "lying around" to ensure the Congress-led government would survive the vote.

Diplomatic messages released by WikiLeaks to an Indian newspaper described how Nachiketa Kapur, identified as an aide to prominent Congress figure Satish Sharma, said that $2.5 million had bought the votes of four MPs.

The alleged incident occurred shortly before Singh narrowly survived the confidence vote over a controversial deal to allow India to buy US nuclear reactors and fuel.

Singh's Congress-led coalition was re-elected in 2009, but has recently become mired by scandals ranging from the cut-price sale of telecoms licences to graft surrounding last year's Commonwealth Games.

Kapur "showed the embassy employee two chests containing cash and said that around Rupees 50-60 crore (about $25 million) was lying around the house for use as pay-offs," according to the WikiLeaks cable.

Both Kapur and Sharma, a close associate of Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, protested their innocence.

"I vehemently deny the malicious allegations shown in the WikiLeaks cable that I pointed out cash being used in the vote of confidence," Kapur told Indian news channel.

"I want to file a defamation case (against the unnamed US officers)."

Sharma told Indian news channel he had never had an aide called Nachiketa Kapur.

The July 2008 vote has long been subject to corruption claims. At the time, opposition MPs debating in parliament waved wads of money which they claimed the government was using to try to bribe them.

On Thursday, Arun Jaitley, leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the upper house, said "it is conclusively clear that this government survived on political and moral sin."

"A government which survived on such a political sin has no authority to even continue for one minute. We demand this government must resign immediately," he said, as his fellow MPs shouted "shame, shame".

Singh has strongly promoted better ties with the United States after decades of friction during the Cold War.

His administration was imperiled by the nuclear deal after Communist allies withdrew support from the ruling coalition.

Indian government officials and the US embassy declined to comment on the July 17, 2008 cable, which is one of a series being published by an Indian newspaper.
Piles of cash to bribe Indian MPs: WikiLeaks

 

[Tshering22]

As a tax-paying citizen, I won't deny that at all. We got scum worse than the dirtiest man you hate in your country right now.

 

[indianpatriot]

Manmohanji should resign right now!

 

[President Camacho]

7 years ago I was in Bihar, with a friend of mine whose dad was a minister there. As I walked into the lobby area of his house (his father's house, precisely), my eyes popped out to see a 2 feet by 4 feet table completely covered with wads of 500 Rs. notes that rose at least a feet and a half high. My friend saw the shock on my face, and asked me if I wanted some. Rather than saying yes or no, I asked him what were they for. He said this is the catalyst, the lubricant, that helps the government function smoothly. In essence, they were there to quieten the opposition.

This phenomenon is prevalent in every country, more so in lawless nations like India and Pakistan. The thing is, since this habit is practiced equally by all the parties, such things are rarely brought out by anyone, for it will harm everyone, not just the opposition.

 

[oceanx]

Lookie ... yanky ... leaky ... regime changie ...

What is this "Manmohanjee" thinking? His recent stunts clearly bordered on an insurrection against my Great Unclejee.

They say India sent a high-level "reconciliation letter" of sort to the Irani.

And India did not sign on to the "no fly" thingy.

Now this self-styled "Saint Anthony" even dared to insist on "transparency"!

I tell ya that's why Amriki are just topsie.

Have you ever heard of "Chinki-Leaks"? Or "9@ki-Leaks"?

Never mind ... just bad jokie from your silly wasting band-widthie ... indulging in a little conspiracy ...