Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India
Date: March 20, 2008
Introduction: Says Ex-MP Minister Offered Him Rs 25L To Back An Independent
A Samajwadi Party legislator in Madhya Pradesh
has created sensation by claiming that a senior state Congress leader offered
him Rs 30 lakh to vote for independent candidate Vivek Tankha in the Rajya
Sabha elections. The SP MLA from Langi, Kishore Samrite, claimed that he refused
the Congress leader's offer. But on Tuesday, he charged that a former Congress
minister, too, approached him and agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh after "a deal''.
Samrite said he was told that his "needs'' would be taken care of.
"I was assured I would be paid Rs 10 lakh in the evening and the remaining
Rs 15 lakh after my vote,'' Samrite alleged. "I informed the Bhopal SP
and the CBI. I spoke to the IG (CBI) but he said he could do nothing since
the matter was beyond his jurisdiction.''
Snubbing his claims, the SP suspended Samrite for indiscipline. "As directed by party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samrite has been suspended on charges of gross indiscipline," party general secretary Amar Singh said.
"When the party had issued a whip supporting independent candidate Vivek Tankha for the RS polls, how could a legislator openly disregard it and make public statements on the issue (alleged horsetrading) without informing the party?" he said. "Why would the Congress, which is backing Tankha, give money to Samrite, seeking his support when the SP has already passed the whip?" he said, questioning the allegations made by Samrite.
Samrite claimed that on Tuesday night, a minister in the previous Congress government reached the MLA quarters and called him on his mobile phone, asking him to collect the first instalment of the "deal''. He said he accepted Rs 10 lakh-10 bundles of Rs 1,000 notes each. By then, Samrite had also called reporters and was expecting the police to arrive at the "right time''. The police reached, but "a minute after'' the former Congress minister left. Soon mediapersons, too, arrived and Samrite showed them the bundles of notes.
Later, Tankha, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, accused Samrite of defaming him and said he will sue him. He said Samrite could have trap-ped the man who came to bribe him. "Samrite has a criminal background. He contested elections from jail,'' Tankha said.