A COBRAPOST-AAJ TAK Investigation reveals the tale of eleven MPs accepting money for asking questions in the Indian Parliament. A detailed version of the story telecast on AAJ TAK news channel.
A COBRAPOST-AAJ TAK investigation entitled Operation Duryodhana unearths 11 members of the Parliament accepting cash for asking questions in the Indian Parliament. Spread over eight months, Operation Duryodhana logged more than 56 video and 70 audiotapes besides recording more than 900 phone calls.
Posing as representatives of a fictitious lobbying organisation called the North Indian Small Manufacturer’s Assosciation (NISMA), journalists Aniruddha Bahal and Suhasini Raj penetrated the nexus operating between MPs and their middlemen and succeeded in having MPs, across party lines, submit more than 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.
Names of MPs taking cash for asking questions in the Indian Parliament are:
Anna Saheb M.K. Patil (BJP, Erandol, Maharastra)---------Rs 45,000
Manoj Kumar (RJD, Palamau, Jharkhand)------------------Rs 110,000
Narendra Kumar Kushwaha (BSP, Mirzapur, UP) --------Rs 55,000
Y.G. Mahajan (BJP, Jalgaon Maharsahtra)-------------------Rs 35,000
Suresh Chandel (BJP, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)------Rs 30,000
Lal Chandra Kol (BSP, Robertsganj, UP)-------------------Rs 35,000
Chhatrapal Singh Lodha, Rajya Sabha (BJP, Orissa)------Rs 15,000
Pradeep Gandhi (BJP, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh)--------Rs 55,000
Raja Ram Pal (BSP, Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh)----------------Rs 35,000
Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP, Sidhi, Uttar Pradesh) -------- Rs 35,000
Ramsevak Singh (Congress, Gwalior Madhya Pradesh)---Rs 50,000
While the bulk of the questions given to the MPs related to the welfare of the Small Scale Industrial (SSI) units, there were several public interest questions also handed over to them, for instance, on non-performing assets, the SEBI inquiry into the 2004 stock market crash and a few others. For submitting all these questions MPs took money ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 110,000. Several MPs also wanted an “annual fee” of Rs 5-6 lakh from NISMA for the organisation to put in as many proxy questions as it wanted, through the MPs concerned, in the Indian Parliament.
Says Aniruddha Bahal, editor of Cobrapost.com, and the journalist who headed the investigation: “The Parliament is the living symbol of Indian democracy. It is where the people speak through their elected representatives and become participants in governance. It is where the nation, in its multiple voices, debates and argues the public cause. It continues to have outstanding legislators, and evokes the spirit of the much admired Indian democracy. Its members have to follow the code of conduct set by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, and they are always under public and media scrutiny. We found during the course of our investigation that this sacred institution was being undermined by a few. While, the majority of Indian parliamentarians raise issues and questions purely on the basis of public interest there are a few who set a price on this public duty of theirs. For us at Cobrapost.com it was an astonishing revelation. The COBRAPOST team has the deepest respect for the institution of parliament and with this investigation it is our endeavour to strengthen it further.”
Besides taking cash for asking questions in the Indian parliament, some MPs were also open to the idea, and quoted their price to the reporters, for organising a petition, espousing NISMA’s cause, to be submitted in the parliament. The price ranged between a few lakh to Rs 10 lakhs.
While BJP MP Anna Saheb M.K. Patil took a total of Rs 45,000 in three instalments from NISMA, of the several questions given to him for submission in the Lok Sabha, three questions managed to get selected in the Parliament’s rigourous balloting procedure. Patil also hands over “19” blank and signed forms to NISMA for submitting whatever questions they wanted. At a price of 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 submitted in the Lok Sabha, on one of Patil’s blank form given to NISMA, is this:
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 Oct 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 in the Lok Sabha:
Starred question no 21
To be answered on 26-07-05
Dereservation of manufacturing items
Unstarred question no 294
To be answered on 26-07-05
Scheme on Performance and credit rating of Small Scale
Industries
Unstarred question no 1928
To be answered on 06-12-05
SSI export to SAARC countries.
BSP MP Lal Chandra Kol takes Rs 35,000 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
To be answered on 06-12-05
SSI Export to SAARC countries
Out of the many questions given to BJP MP Y.G. Mahajan, eight manage to get tabled in the Parliament. The MP from Jalgaon accepts Rs 35,000 from NISMA in two instalments.
Details of Mahajan’s tabled questions:
Unstarred question no 243
To be answered on 26-07-05
Achievements of IIDs for SSIs
Unstarred question no 289
To be answered on Tuesday, July 26th 2005
Growth Centres/ Industrial Growth Centres
Unstarred question no 3219
To be answered on 16-08-2005
Harassment of SSI industrialists.
Unstarred question no 3184
To be answered on 16-08-2005
GATT effects on SSIs
Unstarred question no 2508
To be answered on 09-08-05
Geographical Landmark ( Registration and Conservation) Act,
1999.
Unstarred question no 1580
To be answered on 02-12-05
On production of silk
Unstarred question no 1498
To be answered on 02-12-05
Infrastructure facilities for Handloom sector
Unstarred question no 927
To be answered on 29-11-05
SICA Act 1985
BSP MP Narendra Kushwaha, on the other hand, takes Rs 55,000 from NISMA and, five of the questions given to him by NISMA have managed to get tabled in the Parliament. Kushwaha demands 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
To be answered on 02-12-05
On Production of Silk
Unstarred question no 1498
To be answered on 02-12-05
Infrastructure facilities for Handloom sector
Unstarred question no 927
To be answered on 29-11-05
SICA Act 1985
Unstarred question no 1928
To be answered on 06-12-05
SSI Export to SAARC countries
Unstarred question no 1084
To be answered on 30-11-05
Easing Visa norms for Pak
nationals
RJD MP Manoj Kumar takes Rs 110,000 from NISMA and three of the questions given to him manage to make it through the question selection procedure of the Parliament.
Details of Manoj Kumar’s tabled questions:
Unstarred question no 887
To be answered on 29-07-05
Foreign banks
Unstarred question no 2508
To be answered on 09-08-05
Geographical Landmark ( Registration and Conservation) Act,
1999.
Unstarred question no 3998
To be answered on 23-08-05
Easy loan disbursal for SSIs
And of the few questions given to BJP MP Suresh Chandel, one gets tabled in the Lok Sabha. Chandel accepts Rs 30,000 from the NISMA team in two instalments. He also promises help to NISMA in creating a lobby in Parliament to further the organisation’s interests.
Details of Chandel’s tabled question:
Unstarred question no 3184
To be answered on 16-08-2005
GATT effects on SSIs
The lone Rajya Sabha member in Operation Duryodhana was Dr Chhatrapal Singh Lodha, a BJP nominee 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
To be answered on 3rd Aug 05
Target Plus Scheme
Unstarred Question no 1754
To be answered on 10th August 05
Bio-piracy of traditional Indian medicine
Unstarred question no 1247
To be answered on 04-08-05
Regulatory framework for SSIs
Unstarred Question no 3262
To be answered on 25-08-05
Timely payments to SSIs
Raja Ram Pal, BSP MP from Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh, took Rs 35, 000, from NISMA. No question of his has so far been tabled in the Parliament. The MP demands Rs 40,000 per month for submitting NISMA’s questions in the Lok Sabha. He also agrees to organise a petition for NISMA across party lines in case the price is right. He was given several questions by the COBRAPOST team.
Details of the questions given to Raja Ram Pal:
1. On the action taken report on the non performing assets of the banks;
2.The steps taken for simplification of visa procedures by India for SSI owners in Pakistan to facilitate trade between the two countries.
3.On the amount of trade generated between India and Pakistan.
4. Record of trade generated within SAARC countries.
5. 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.
Pradeep Gandhi a BJP MP from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh received Rs 55,000 from the COBRAPOST team over several meetings. Five questions were given to him, but none managed to get tabled in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi asks for Rs 50,000 per month or Rs 6 lakh per year to submit as many questions for NISMA as the organisation wants. But, the cover of the Cobrapost team breaks with respect to Gandhi sometime in November. The MP even checks the bags of the team at the last meeting.
Details of questions given to Pradeep Gandhi.
1 On the SEBI inquiry into the stock market scam of 2004;
2 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.
3 On the trade relations between India, Pakistan and other SAARC countries and the steps taken to ease visa formalities between them.
4 The reason for allowing BCCI certain benefits and concessions which has led to the autocratic nature of the body.
5 On the rationale behind merging and grouping small industries with medium.
Chandra Pratap Singh, a BJP MP from Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh, accepts Rs 35,000 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
1. The impact of VAT on the Indian pharmaceutical industry
2. Statistics of money coming in through the FCRA route
3 Monitoring of health care in the private sector.
4 Status of NRI and FII investors in the Indian small scale sector.
5. 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?
Congress MP Ramsevak Singh received a total of Rs 50,000 from the COBRAPOST team. None of the five questions given to the MP have been tabled till date.
1.On the trade relations between India and Pakistan and other SAARC countries.
2.Steps the government is taking to make timely payments to SSIs to save them from defaulting on loans.
3. Promotion of SSIs in militancy hit areas like J&K.
4.On the benefits, schemes and facilities for welfare of SSIs in small towns.
5. On the various problems facing SSIs like dereservation, lack of bank credit, Inspector Raj etc
Operation Duryodhana also unearths 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.
For reading the whole story please log on to WWW.COBRAPOST.com
Date: 12/12/2005