NEW DELHI, Dec 12: In a throwback to the days of cash-for-query scam, a news portal today claimed that 11 MPs of five parties were willing to issue letters of recommendation to promote a fictitious foreign company for a fee ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh.
At a press conference here, Aniruddha Bahal, Editor of the portal Cobrapost, said during the sting operation conducted over a period of a year six MPs even issued letters of recommendation.
Of the MPs, two belonged to Congress, three to BJP, two to AIADMK, three to JD (U) and one to BSP, he said.
Bahal claimed that the undercover operation “exposed” the MPs of not even caring to check the antecedents of the fake foreign oil company, Mediterranean Oil Inc. Of Queensland, Australia, whom the reporter assuming fake identity approached claiming to be the consultant of the company.
The MPs named by the portal were K Sugumar and C Rajendran from AIADMK, Lalu Bhai Patel, Ravindra Kumar Pandey and Hari Manjhi from BJP; Vishwa Mohan Kumar, Maheshwar Hazari and Bhudeo Chaudhary from JD (U), Khiladi Lal Bairwa and Vikrambhai Arjanbhai from Congress and Kaiser Jahan from BSP.
Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the action of the MPs constituted serious offences under Prevention of corruption Act which need to be investigated and prosecuted.
When contacted, some of the MPs denied the charges.
Six of the MPs gave the portal letters of recommendation in favour of the fake company for a sum ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, Bahal alleged.
“Others won’t settle for less than Rs 5 lakh for a single letter and in one case an MP quoted a ridiculously high price for a single letter at Rs 50 lakh. There was no point giving them so much money,” he said.
Parliament had expelled 11 MPs after a similar undercover operation by a news portal exposed lawmakers taking money for asking questions seven years ago.
The undercover reporter contacted the MPs through middlemen, personal staff and the husband in the case of the woman MP, Bahal said.
In his reaction, Maheswar Hazari, Janata Dal (United) MP from Samastipur, Bihar said that this was a ploy to malign him and his political career.
“Does the video show me taking money? So, the question of accepting money does not arise. I have not even issued any letter. This is a conspiracy to damage my image in the public and trouble a dalit MP.”
Vishwa Mohan Kumar, Janata Dal (United) MP from Supaul, Bihar admitted to issuing a letter of recommendation to the company at behest of his Personal Assistant.
“My PA introduced this company man (Cobrapost reporter) to me, so I gave him a letter. I have not taken money. I had given a letter for similar such exploration in Assam earlier to some other company. When I saw the company details, I thought it could help in giving a boast to the North-east region, so I issued a letter,” Kumar said.
Hari Manjhi, BJP MP from Gaya also admitted to have issued a letter, but denied taking money. “One man from my constituency introduced this man(the reporter who posed as a consultant for the company) to me, so I issued a letter. But, I do it for everyone from my constituency who comes for help. I have given letter for railway reservation, for treatment in AIIMS,” Manjhi said.
Bhudeo Chaudhary, JD (U) MP, said,”The allegations are wrong and baseless. People meet me as an MP and ask for letters. Most MPs who have been targeted in the sting operation are Dalit. It is a ploy to malign the JD (U) as Dalits and Mahadalits vote for the party.”
Vikrambhai Arjanbhai, Congress MP from Jamnagar, admitted that he had met the reporter posing as a consultant for a foreign company.
“He had told me that he had letters from three Congress MPs. He had also asked for a letter for oil exploration in the sea off Jamnagar, but I denied. Although the sting shows my PA taking money, if that is the case he will be sacked. The sting does not show me taking the money.”
Telephone calls to Lalubhai Babubhai Patel, BJP MP from Daman and Diu, Ravindra Kumar Pandey, BJP MP from Giridih, Jharkhand and two AIADMK MPs C Rajendran and K Sugumar, BSP MP Kaiser Jahan and Congress MP Khiladi Lal Bairwa met with no response. (PTI)
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