Members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on Wednesday walked out of the Lok Sabha expressing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reply on the WikiLeaks exposé on the cash-for-votes scam carried by The Hindu . Immediately after Dr. Singh concluded his reply to a short-duration discussion, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj wanted to seek a clarification which, however, was not allowed and there was din in the House. By that time, the Prime Minister had left for the Rajya Sabha. However, Ms. Swaraj went ahead with making a statement expressing her displeasure over Dr. Singh's reply and later she and L.K. Advani led their party members out of the House. The other NDA members followed suit.
Earlier, Yashwant Sinha (BJP) and Communication Minister Kapil Sibal crossed swords on the WikiLeaks reports. While Mr. Sinha wondered what made Dr. Singh change his statement that “I am not at all involved in any of the transaction,” made earlier in the day on March 18, to “No one from the Congress or the [UPA-I] government was involved,” Mr. Sibal said it was the BJP which was in the habit of doublespeak.
Quoting a WikiLeaks cable about BJP leaders' inconsistency in their public and private speeches, Mr. Sibal wanted to know from Mr. Sinha whether his party was ready to accept this report too.
The Minister again turned the tables on the BJP, saying Jaswant Singh (who rejoined the party a few months ago) had charged, in an interview to an English magazine, that Mr. Advani was at the “centre” of the entire “drama” of cash-for-vote. He read out a portion that stated: “Here was a man who was consumed by an ambition to be Prime Minister ... Advaniji was at the centre of this whole drama ...”
Mr. Sinha said the government had no “moral right” to continue in power after the WikiLeaks exposé. It should not try to downplay the cable as the former U.S. Ambassador, David Mulford, had gone on record confirming that such a report existed and it was indeed sent by the embassy here. “The telegram [cable] is contemporary and corroborates what most feel actually happened in this House,” he said.
Mr. Sinha wanted to know whether U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had actually called up External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to inform him that India should be prepared for “embarrassment” following the leak of U.S. diplomatic cables.
