Yashwant seeks CBI probe

Claiming that Jharkhand has become a happy hunting ground for unscrupulous moneybags,senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has sought a thorough probe by the CBI or any other agency

Claiming that Jharkhand has become a happy hunting ground for unscrupulous moneybags,senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has sought a thorough probe by the CBI or any other agency into the events since the start of the process of Rajya Sabha elections in the state.

In a letter to Chief Election Commisioner S Y Quraishi,Sinha has said the role of MLAs who signed nomination papers of the Independent candidates too should be probed and those found guilty of electoral malpractices barred from contesting elections for the maximum permissible period.

Sinhas letter follows similar views expressed on Sunday by senior BJP leader L K Advani,who had lauded the ECs decision to scrap the polls. Sinha reiterated that the decision was a bold one.

Sinha,an MP from Jharkhand,said the CEC should proceed separately against legislators found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act,as they are public servants. He said one step the EC could take to minimise role of money power in Rajya Sabha elections was to drastically reduce expenditure limit to a few thousand rupees. He said from the beginning of the election process,strict vigilance should be exercised by the EC as is done in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

In connection with the just-scrapped polls,he added that the two Independents should be asked to file poll expenditure statements and get these strictly scrutinised by the investigative agency with reference to the facts emerging during the investigation.

Sinha said Rajya Sabha elections have become a byword for malpractices and horse-trading in many states,especially Jharkhand,where a number of persons have come with moneybags and made their way to the Upper House. They have purchased their votes both in the wholesale by striking deals with political parties as well as in retail by purchasing individual legislators. It has been happening with impunity under our very noses, he said.

Sinha pointed out that of the 58 RS seats for which elections were held,55 candidates were elected unopposed. Two of the remaining three seats for which there was a contest are in Jharkhand. It was clear from the time the election process was set in motion that moneybags would descend on Jharkhand,and they did, Sinha said.