Cong dismisses BJP demand for CBI probe into cash-for-votes

Accusing the BJP of playing "politics of frustration", Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the party's allegations of corruption against the UPA government is a classic case of "kettle calling the pot black".

Rejecting senior BJP leader Sushama Swaraj's demand for a CBI probe into the cash for vote scam, he said,"We completely disagree with her allegation, thinking and approach. We oppose it and believe that the issue is being raised by the BJP to create political sensation".

He said that his party won't be dictated by her on the matter. Referring to the sting operation carried out by a news channel during the trust vote in July 2008, Singhvi the manner in which it was conducted was "fundamentally opposed to legitimate sting operation".

Accusing the BJP of having a hand in it, he said,"You cannot create situations for corruption and then allege corruption....BJP ended the difference between a sting operation and a trap just for the sake of occupying power". He said all that BJP had done in 2008 was "how to remove a democratically elected government through undemocratic means".

Singhvi said that the main opposition party displayed "politics of frustration" in its attempt of shortcircuiting the mandate of five years. He said that Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha (Sushama Swaraj) and in Rajya Sabha (Arun Jaitley) are engaged in "competitive politics within themselves" asking it and other sections of the Opposition to introspect over the issues they have been raising.

He added that BJP was more into "persons based competitive politics" than raising issues of Aam Admi (common man) and development. Accusing the BJP of creating a hullabaloo over Wikileaks, Singhvi said the issue did not generate such heat in any other country of the world, adding that the main opposition party was interested more in creating instability than recording corruptibililty.

He added that during the entire session, BJP did not evince interest in issues of public importance and attempted to postpone even the Finance Bill. Regarding Swaraj's demand that Parliament should pass a unanimous resolution to scrap the 1989 "out of the court settlement" between the Indian government and Union Carbide, Singhvi also said, "Government of India will not be dictated by about a resolution to be passed. The government is entitled to exercise its discretion..."

A combative Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hit back at the Opposition in Parliament yesterday for relying on unverified diplomatic communications and raised questions over the authenticity of the correspondence between the US Embassy here and its government in Washington.