The cash-for-vote scam got murkier today when three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs wrote to the committee investigating the incident, charging that Sanjiv Saxena, the go-between who allegedly offered money to the MPs on behalf of the Samajwadi Party (SP) to support the confidence motion, was not only an employee of SP general secretary Amar Singh but also owned a mobile phone registered with Himachal Futuristics Communication Limited (HFCL).
“Every political reporter in the capital knows the connection between HFCL and Amar Singh. I don’t need to spell out anything,” said party general secretary Arun Jaitley, releasing a copy of the letter.
However, HFCL denied the link. “There is no Sanjeev Saxena who works in HFCL. Therefore, it is not possible for me to comment on any phone that he has,” said Mahendra Nahata, chairman, HFCL group.
What was missing from the document made public today were the annexures which contain the verbatim timed accounts of the conversations and copies of mobile phone records. These have been given to the committee but have not been made public.
The letter says that on July 21, SP leader Reoti Raman Singh met BJP MPs Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahaveer Singh Bhagora at Argal’s residence where the transaction was discussed. This was taped by cameras rigged up by a television channel CNN-IBN (which has not telecast the tape on the ground that its investigations were not complete).
Then these MPs traveled to 27 Lodi Estate on July 22, the day of the voting. The car which took the MPs to the residence of Singh was followed and taped by CNN-IBN. The registration details of the car have been traced to a company, Pankaja Arts and Credit, located at E-593 Greater Kailash II, a firm belonging to Amar Singh’s family (the address is Singh’s private residence).
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The MPs say the tape has Sanjeev Saxena repeatedly telephoning a number. Mobile records show this number as belonging to Amar Singh’s residence. The records of the telephone service provider show that his movements were consistent with the jurisdiction of the cell tower – that is, from Ferozeshah Roard, the residence of Ashok Argal, to Lodi Estate, the residence of Amar Singh, the letter alleges.
Jaitely said there were more records of Amar Singh telephoning political advisor to Congress President, Ahmad Patel, and getting him to speak to the MPs, but refused to speculate on the content of the conversation.
Jaitley says there is conclusive evidence that Sanjeev Saxena is the go-between, along with Reoti Raman Singh, for Amar Singh and the BJP has demanded the committee call these individuals to record their testimony as well as summon their mobile records to cross-examine them.
The BJP also apprehends that the tapes could be doctored and wants the audio recordings to be juxtaposed with the video recordings.
“The principal question which the inquiry committee should address is why Sanjeev Saxena brought the money on behalf of Amar Singh during the vote of confidence motion,” the letter says.