Cash-for-votes scam: Mulayam backs Amar Singh, says questioning unfair

New Delhi, July 24 (ANI): Days after Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh was questioned by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch for his alleged role in the sensational 2008 cash-for-votes scam, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday termed the questioning of his former party colleague to be unjust and a conspiracy.

"It is an injustice being meted out to Amar Singh. It is a conspiracy to trouble (SP Lok Sabha MP) Rewati Raman Singh and Amar Singh. He (Amar) helped Congress (during the 2008 trust vote) as Samajwadi Party voted in favour of the UPA. And now he is being questioned," Times Now Channel quoted Yadav, as saying at a press conference here.

"We only helped by voting in their (Congress') favour. Did we join the government? Did Amar Singh or Rewati Singh become ministers? Had money changed hands, I would have known about it," he added.

Backing his former colleague, Mulayam Singh Yadav further said he would help the expelled party general secretary in whatever way possible to face the present crisis.

"We helped the government, now they (Rewati and Amar) are under probe," he said.

Responding to a question on the possibility of Amar Singh's return to the Samajwadi Party, Yadav said: "(We are) not taking him back...he is facing injustice."

Amar Singh, who has been accused of sending bribe money to win over three BJP lawmakers during the controversial 2008 trust vote, was questioned for around three hours by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch on Friday.

The scam exploded hours ahead of the trust vote on July 22, 2008, when three BJP MPs - Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora - walked into the Lok Sabha waving bundles of cash.

At that time, Singh was a senior leader of the Samajwadi Party, which was an ally of the UPA coalition at the Centre.

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

Hindustani was arrested under Prevention of Corruption Act after seven hours of grilling by the Crime Branch about his role in the case.

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 trust vote.

The cash-for-votes scam had rocked proceedings in the Lok Sabha in 2008, when the ruling United Progressive Alliance, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, allegedly bribed lawmakers of other parties to help wining the confidence vote. (ANI)