Cash-for-vote probe affected by political compulsions: Amar

is an accused in the case and is out on bail,said in an interview to Aaj Tak.

Claiming that there was only circumstantial evidence against him,the Rajya Sabha MP said,”It is a funny charge. I am charged with saving the UPA government,that I facilitated the nuclear deal.”

Singh said supporting the nuclear deal was in national interest and if he had gone to jail for that,he was proud.

Lashing out at SP leaders for saying that he had acted on his own during the cash-for-vote scam,Singh dared them to go to the court and testify.

“I never worked for the Congress. It was a decision of the SP that the Congress needed to be supported,” he said.

On BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s statement that Singh was only a link in the scam,he said he prefers to be silent at this stage.

“It is better I remain silent now. If I speak out,a lot of people will be exposed. I do not want to rock the boat at this stage,” he said.

He said his testimony would embarrass a lot of people.

Amar Singh charged SP president Mulayam Singh with using him for all the “dirty work”.

“What have I got from Mulayam Singh Yadav. I will never go back to the SP. Not always do you cut the hand that feeds the mouth,” Singh said.

Rejecting the view that he had brought glamour through actors into the party,he said,”They are not new-born babies who were misled by Amar Singh for 14 years. Even before I came into SP,there was Raj Babbar and industrialists like Sanjay Dalmia.

“Their lust and hunger for glamour and industrialists was there much before me,” he said.

Singh said not supporting Sonia Gandhi in 1999 was the biggest mistake of his political life and he probably paid for it.

He rubbished suggestions that he was trying to get into Congress party but Rahul Gandhi was against it.

“I am not a job seeker. I have great affection for Rahul Gandhi,although we have only a formal acquaintance,” Singh said.

He said it would be a lie to say that he was not upset with Jaya Bachchan for not siding with him when he was expelled from the party.

“She (Jaya) is pragmatic,worldly wise. In life,you should learn to use people and move on. Nobody can use anyone unless one wants to,” he said.

Denying any rift with Amitabh Bachchan,Singh said,”He came to see me in hospital and was there for three hours. Our relationship is sacred. I did not want my political shadow to fall on him. It was my decision,not his.”