Cash-for-vote scam: Police quiz Sohail Hindustani

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): The Delhi police on Wednesday questioned Sohail Hindustani, a suspect and an alleged middleman for his role in the case in the cash-for-vote scam case of 2008 in New Delhi.

Speaking to mediapersons, Hindustani, said he had acted as a middleman between Amar Singh, along with other leaders and the low-key lawmakers to whom cash was paid.

"Whatever I have told to crime branch and JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee), I will tell the same to Delhi Police," he said.

"I had told crime branch that we had gone to Amar Singh's house on the advise of Ashok Argal, a lawmaker, Fagan Singh Kulaste and Rewati Raman Singh. Amar Singh was luring low-key lawmakers by bribing them. When we went to the house of Ashok Argal, Sanjiv Saxena and his driver whose name they have been telling as Sanjiv, had come there with money. Amar Singh had said that he is working with Ahmad Patel on the instructions of Manmohan Singh to save the government," he added.

Hindustani further accused the Prime Minister of misleading people of the country.

"There has been an agitation in the country and in 2008 people could not believe that Manmohan Singh and Congress party can indulge in some un-parliamentary methods to save the government. Wikileaks had also exposed them and you must be aware that in March lot of ruckus was created in the Parliament," he added

The former chairman of the committee inquiring cash-for-vote scam, V. Kishore Chandra Deo on Tuesday stated that no prima facie evidence was found against Amar Singh in the case.

The apex court had on July 7 ordered the Delhi Police to file its status report by July 15 on the cash-for-vote scam probe.

The cash-for-votes scam had rocked proceedings in the Lok Sabha lower house of the Indian parliament) in 2008, when the ruling United Progressive Alliance, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, allegedly bribed lawmakers of other parties to survive a confidence vote.

The trust vote had taken place after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led Left Front withdrew support from the federal government over the Indo-US nuclear deal. (ANI)