Jethmalani U-turn after ‘admitting’ BJP role in cash-for-vote scam

While defending Amar Singh,lawyer's anti-BJP bail 'argument' had left his party red-faced.

Senior advocate and BJP MP Ram Jethmalani denied he had accused BJP of having played a role in arranging the money in the cash-for-vote scam of 2008 and accused the media of misreporting.

“I have not done anything of that kind. You people are spreading (wrong reports) all the time,” he said on the sidelines of a function here.

“I merely said that there was no evidence that Amar Singh gave this money… read the chargesheet… it doesn’t say that Amar Singh has given this money. Amar Singh has not arranged the sting operation either,” he added.

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A Delhi court will on Tuesday pronounced its order on the interim bail plea of Amar Singh,who is in jail for his alleged involvement in the cash-for-vote scandal during the July 2008 trust vote in Parliament.

The high point of an hour-long bail argument on Monday was the contention of BJPs Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani,who while appearing for the 55-year-old Singh,said that the money for the sting operation might have come from the BJP.

Recently L K Advani spoke in the Lok Sabha that this sting was organised by the BJP. So the money probably came from a BJP source. Singh did not provide the money. Moreover,the sting was done to expose corruption,this shows that anything they did was not unlawful…If the money was waved (in Lok Sabha) by the BJP MPs,then the source of money is likely to be from the BJP. I am not prejudicing anybodys case, said Jethmalani.

The BJP,however,sought to make light of the embarrassment saying Jethmalani was acting in his capacity as a lawyer and it would not like to comment as the matter is sub-judice.