New Delhi: In a sensational expose, a Delhi-based Hindi news channel aired footages showing MPs belonging to various political parties taking money for raising questions in Parliament.
Cobrapost.com, a website run by Aniruddha Bahal, who headed the sting operations, says the MPs took money ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 110,000.
Posing as representatives of a fictitious lobbying organisation called the North Indian Small Manufacturer's Assosciation (NISMA), the journalists met the MPs and their middlemen.
They succeeded in having "MPs submit over 60 questions in the rigorous question balloting system of the Indian Parliament, out of which 25 (at last count) were selected".
Sometimes, the same set of questions were put in by more than one MP.
Several MPs demanded "annual fee" of Rs 5-6 lakh from NISMA to put in as many proxy questions as it wanted, Cobrapost.com says.
The bulk of the questions given to the MPs related to the welfare of the Small Scale Industrial units.
Several public interest questions, for instance, on non-performing assets, the SEBI inquiry into the 2004 stock market crash and a few others, were also given to the MPs.
Besides taking cash for asking questions in Parliament, some MPs were also open to the idea of organising a petition espousing NISMA's cause to be submitted in Parliament. This, of course, would come for a price, the undercover scribes were told. The asking rate: up to Rs 10 lakh.
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Next Page: The Questions
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BJP's dirty half-a-dozen
Name: Anna Saheb MK Patil, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BJPConstituency: Erandol, MaharastraAmount: Rs 45,000Patil took the amount in three instalments from NISMA. Of the several questions given to him three managed to get selected in the Parliament's rigourous balloting procedure.
Patil also gave the scribes 19 blank and signed forms to submit "whatever questions they wanted". For Rs 6 lakh a year (Rs 50,000 per month), Patil was willing to put in as many questions as NISMA wanted the whole year round.
He also sought Rs 10-15 lakh as expenditure for fighting the next Lok Sabha elections.
One of the questions Patil submitted in the Lok Sabha, given to him on one of his blank forms: "Whether the government has given sanction for the seed trial of Salinger Cotton of Monsanto? If so, how many applications are pending for seed trials as of October 1, 2005? Is cotton the only cash crop being looked at for genetically altered seeds? If so, has a report been prepared on Catch 22 cotton so far?"
Details of Patil's tabled questions:
- Starred question No 21
Answered on 26-07-05
Dereservation of manufacturing items
- Unstarred question No 294
Answered on 26-07-05
Scheme on Performance and credit rating of Small Scale Industries
- Unstarred question No 1928
Answered on 06-12-05
SSI export to SAARC countries
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Name: YG Mahajan, MP (Lok Sabha)Party:BJPConstituency: Jalgaon, MaharastraAmount: Rs 35,000Out of the many questions given to BJP MP YG Mahajan, eight manage to get tabled in the Parliament. The MP from Jalgaon accepted the money from NISMA in two instalments.
Details of Mahajan's tabled questions:
- Unstarred question No 243
Answered on 26-07-05
Achievements of IIDs for SSIs
- Unstarred question No 289
Answered on 26-07-05
Growth Centres/ Industrial Growth Centres
- Unstarred question No 3219
Answered on 16-08-05
Harassment of SSI industrialists.
- Unstarred question No 3184
Answered on 16-08-05
GATT effects on SSIs
- Unstarred question No 2508
Answered on 09-08-05
Geographical Landmark ( Registration and Conservation) Act, 1999
- Unstarred question No 1580
Answered on 02-12-05
On production of silk
- Unstarred question No 1498
Answered on 02-12-05
Infrastructure facilities for Handloom sector
- Unstarred question No 927
Answered on 29-11-05
SICA Act 1985
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Name: Suresh Chandel, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BJPConstituency: Hamirpur, Himachal PradeshAmount: Rs 30,000Chandel was able to get only one question tabled in Lok Sabha. He accepted the money from the NISMA team in two instalments and also promised help to NISMA in creating a lobby in Parliament to support the organisation's interests.
Details of Chandel's tabled question:
- Unstarred question No 3184
Answered on 16-08-05
GATT effects on SSIs
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Name: Dr Chhatrapal Singh Lodha, MP (Rajya Sabha)Party: BJPState: OrissaAmount: Rs 15,000The lone Rajya Sabha member in Operation Duryodhana was Dr Lodha, from Orissa. Four of NISMA's questions, submitted in the Rajya Sabha through Lodha, figure in the unstarred list of questions of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Details of Lodha's tabled questions:
- Unstarred Question No 956
Answered on 03-08-05
Target Plus Scheme
- Unstarred Question No 1754
Answered on 10-08-05
Bio-piracy of traditional Indian medicine
- Unstarred question No 1247
Answered on 04-08-05
Regulatory framework for SSIs
- Unstarred Question No 3262
Answered on 25-08-05
Timely payments to SSIs
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Name: Pradeep Gandhi, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BJPConstituency: Rajnandgaon, ChhattisgarhAmount: Rs 55,000Gandhi took the money from the Cobrapost team over several meetings. Five questions were given to him, but none managed to get tabled in the Lok Sabha.
He asked for Rs 6 lakh per year (Rs 50,000 per month)to submit as many questions for NISMA as the organisation wanted.
But, Gandhi smelled something fishy in the deal and even checked the bags of the Cobrapost team once.
Details of questions given to Pradeep Gandhi.
- On the SEBI inquiry into the stock market scam of 2004.
- The rationale behind increasing the investment limit and the omission of the word 'tiny' and other features from the SME Bill of 2002 , yet to be passed.
- On the trade relations between India, Pakistan and other SAARC countries and the steps taken to ease visa formalities between them.
- The reason for allowing BCCI certain benefits and concessions which has led to the autocratic nature of the body.
- On the rationale behind merging and grouping small industries with medium.
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Name: Chandra Pratap Singh, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BJPConstituency: Sidhi, Madhya PradeshAmount: Rs 35,000He took the amount from the Cobrapost team in lieu of questions to be submitted in the Parliament. He was handed about eight questions, but none of them got tabled in the Parliament.
Details of some of the questions given to Chandra Pratap Singh:
- The impact of VAT on the Indian pharmaceutical industry
- Statistics of money coming in through the FCRA route
- Monitoring of health care in the private sector.
- Status of NRI and FII investors in the Indian small scale sector.
- Whether the Railway Ministry has placed any order for purchase of the Yossarian Electro Diesel engine from Germany? Is the ministry aware that the Tom Wolfe Committee report in Germany has halted its induction into the Euro Rail system?
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BSP's trio
Name: Lal Chandra Kol, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BSPConstituency: Robertsganj, Uttar PradeshAmount: 35,000Kol took the amount from NISMA for putting in questions in the Lok Sabha. One question of his ends up being tabled in the Parliament.
Details of Kol's tabled question:
- Unstarred question No. 1928
Answered on 06-12-05
SSI Export to SAARC countries
Name: Narendra Kushwaha, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BSPConstituency: Mirzapur, Uttar PradeshAmount: Rs 55,000Kushwaha managed to get five of the questions, given to him, tabled in Parliament. He also demanded Rs 5 lakh from NISMA for putting in questions on NISMA's behalf the whole year round.
Details of Kushwaha's tabled questions:
- Unstarred question No 1580
Answered on 02-12-05
On Production of Silk
- Unstarred question No 1498
Answered on 02-12-05
Infrastructure facilities for Handloom sector
- Unstarred question No 927
Answered on 29-11-05
SICA Act 1985
- Unstarred Question No 1928
Answered on 06-12-05
SSI Export to SAARC countries
- Unstarred Question No 1084
Answered on 30-11-05
Easing Visa norms for Pak nationals
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Name: Raja Ram Pal, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: BSPConstituency:Amount: Rs 35,000None of the question given to Pal has been been tabled in Parliament. The MP also demanded Rs 40,000 per month for submitting NISMA?s questions in Lok Sabha.
He agreed to organise a petition for NISMA across party lines in case the price demanded by him is paid and was given five questions by the Cobrapost team.
Details of the questions given to Raja Ram Pal:
- On the action taken report on the non performing assets of the banks;
- The steps taken for simplification of visa procedures by India for SSI owners in Pakistan to facilitate trade between the two countries.
- On the amount of trade generated between India and Pakistan.
- Record of trade generated within SAARC countries.
- On the induction of the Yossarian Electro Diesel engine of Germany and whether the Government was aware of the Tom Wolfe committee's report resulting in halting its induction in the Euro rail system.
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RJD's lone star
Name: Manoj Kumar, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: RJDConstituency: Palamau, JharkhandAmount: Rs 1,10,000Three of the questions given to Kumar from NISMA made it through the question selection procedure of Parliament.
Details of Manoj Kumar's tabled questions:
- Unstarred question No 887
Answered on 29-07-05
Foreign banks
- Unstarred question No 2508
Answered on 09-08-05
Geographical Landmark ( Registration and Conservation) Act, 1999.
- Unstarred question No 3998
Answered on 23-08-05
Easy loan disbursal for SSIs
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Congress' shame
Name: Ramsevak Singh, MP (Lok Sabha)Party: CongressConstituency: Gwalior, Madhya PradeshAmount: Rs 50,000Although Ramsevak Singh took the money from the Cobrapost team but none of the five questions given to the MP had been tabled till Monday.
Details of questions given to Ramsevak Singh:
- On the trade relations between India and Pakistan and other SAARC countries.
- Steps the government is taking to make timely payments to SSIs to save them from defaulting on loans.
- Promotion of SSIs in militancy hit areas like J&K.
- On the benefits, schemes and facilities for welfare of SSIs in small towns.
- On the various problems facing SSIs like dereservation, lack of bank credit, Inspector Raj etc
Operation Duryodhana also unearthed a slew of middlemen, who, for a commission, introduced us to several MPs, and some of whom even served as a money conduit between the MPs and NISMA. The middlemen also liaised between NISMA and the MPs in drafting and putting in questions in the Parliament. Many of them work as personal secretaries for the MPs.
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