NEW DELHI, 8 December 2003 — The Congress party has suspended a top politician from its ranks after the national governing party accused him of trying to bribe lawmakers following state elections last week.
The national ruling Bharatiya Janata Party alleges that Ajit Jogi, the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh state, gave about 2.5 million rupees ($55,000) to one of its legislators to distribute among other lawmakers to get them to form a breakaway party to prevent the BJP from forming the next government in the state. Jogi — who has denied any wrongdoing — stepped down as chief minister after his Congress party was edged out by the BJP in state elections last week. BJP won 51 seats in the 90-member legislature, while Congress got 36.
Jogi’s plan was allegedly for the breakaway group to stake a claim to the next government with support from Congress, Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley alleged.
Jaitley played an audio tape of what he claimed was Jogi speaking on the telephone on Friday, offering money to Virendra Pandey, a BJP lawmaker who was negotiating on behalf of another BJP legislator, Baliram Kashyap. Television reports yesterday showed Jaitley displaying a stash of notes totaling about 2.5 million rupees ($55,000) that Jogi allegedly gave to Pandey.
“This is a clear case of corruption, of trying to engineer defections by using money,” Jaitley said Saturday.
Jogi said the voice on the tape was not his. “The charges are baseless. I am ready to face any investigation,” he told the New Delhi Television channel. “I have listened to the tape twice. It’s a concocted voice.”
However, the Congress party, which was ousted from power in three of the four states where elections were held last week, moved swiftly to suspend Jogi from the party.
“The party has taken a serious note of it and has sent a notice of suspension,” senior Congress official Ambika Soni told Aaj Tak television network.
