EFE, 17 de marzo de 2011

La oposición india pide la dimisión de Singh por una supuesta compra de votos
Denuncian compra de votos para aprobar acuerdo nuclear con Estados Unidos

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Nueva Delhi, 17 mar (EFE).- La oposición en la India exigió hoy al unísono la dimisión del primer ministro, Manmohan Singh, por la supuesta vinculación de miembros del gobernante Partido del Congreso con el pago de sobornos a diputados en 2008 para sacar adelante el acuerdo nuclear con EEUU.

Entre gritos de "vergüenza" y aserciones de que se ha llegado a "la muerte de la democracia", varias formaciones de izquierdas, de castas bajas y el principal partido opositor, el hinduista Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), acusaron al Ejecutivo en las dos Cámaras del Parlamento de haber perdido la autoridad para seguir gobernando, según las agencias IANS y PTI.

"Está claro que este Gobierno ha sobrevivido a base de pecado político y moral. No tiene la autoridad para continuar siquiera un minuto. Pedimos su dimisión inmediata", exigió el portavoz de la oposición en el Senado, Arun Jaitley, del BJP.

"El primer ministro no tiene autoridad moral ni legitimidad para dirigir al país. Debe dimitir ya", aseveró también el líder máximo del BJP, L.K. Advani, en una rueda de prensa.

Según los cables del departamento de Estado de EEUU filtrados a través del portal Wikileaks y publicados hoy por el rotativo "The Hindu", un asesor político del Congreso mostró a un empleado de la embajada estadounidense en Delhi dos arcones con parte de fondos de hasta 600 millones de rupias (unos 13,2 millones de dólares) que su partido había dispuesto para la compra de votos.

De acuerdo con la filtración, los pagos estaban dirigidos a varios diputados para garantizar la victoria de la coalición gubernamental en el voto de confianza sobre el acuerdo entre la India y EEUU para desarrollar energía nuclear con fines civiles.

En respuesta a las críticas de la oposición, el ministro indio de Finanzas, Pranab Mukherjee, defendió que las comunicaciones entre la embajada de EEUU y su Gobierno "cuentan con inmunidad diplomática", por lo que zanjó que el Ejecutivo del país surasiático no las puede confirmar o desmentir.

"Cada Parlamento es soberano durante su legislatura", subrayó Mukherjee, quien agregó que lo que sucedió en el anterior Parlamento -ya disuelto- "no puede arrastrarse" al actual.

El titular de Finanzas sostuvo además que la filtración de Wikileaks no es una prueba admisible en un tribunal.

El BJP ya había denunciado esta trama durante la votación en 2008, cuando tres de sus diputados llevaron a la Cámara Baja fajos de billetes que supuestamente habían recibido. El entonces presidente del Parlamento, Somnath Chatterjee, ordenó una investigación que no arrojó ninguna conclusión.

La alianza gubernamental liderada por el Partido del Congreso acabó superando la votación con 275 sufragios a favor, 256 en contra y diez abstenciones.

El Gobierno se ha visto acuciado en los últimos meses por una serie de escándalos de corrupción -el más sonado de ellos es el relativo al supuesto reparto fraudulento de licencias de móvil de segunda generación (2G)- que sirven de bronca constante en las sesiones del Parlamento. EFE

Washington Post, 17 de marzo de 2011

Publication of WikiLeaks cable leads to calls for Indian prime minister's resignation

By Rama Lakshmi, Thursday, March 17

NEW DELHI — A WikiLeaks cable suggesting Indian government payoffs to lawmakers to secure support for a controversial nuclear deal in 2008 rocked the parliament Thursday, when opposition parties demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The leaked cables, published in The Hindu newspaper, claimed that Singh’s government used cash to win a crucial vote in parliament in 2008 following a debate on the controversial civilian nuclear agreement between India and the United States. The cable quoted an American diplomat, Steven White, saying a Congress Party aide showed an embassy staffer the cash available for the payoffs.

The newspaper report created an uproar in parliament, and angry opposition leaders said the government had no right to stay in power any longer.

Sushma Swaraj, a lawmaker with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the report brought “shame to the nation.” Both houses of parliament were adjourned amid a din of shouting.

The WikiLeaks disclosure is the latest corruption charge to besiege Singh’s government in the last six months, implicating several officials.

The nuclear deal with the United States was bitterly opposed by several parties, including the Communist members in Singh’s coalition government. To survive after several Communist Party members withdrew their support, Singh had to face a crucial vote of confidence.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, responding to the attacks in parliament, described the leaked cable as “a correspondence between a sovereign government and its mission abroad, and it enjoys diplomatic immunity. Therefore, it is not possible for the government to either confirm it or deny it.”

Arun Jaitley of the BJP countered by pointing his finger at Mukherjee and saying, “You are guilty of a cover-up. Diplomatic immunity may be available to U.S. diplomats, but the same immunity can’t be used by Indians in India.”

The cable, dated July 17, 2008, was sent by White, charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and titled, “Political bargaining continues prior to key vote in parliament.” It said that a Congress Party political aide named Nachiketa Kapur told an embassy staff member that about $ 2.5 million was paid to opposition lawmakers in return for their votes.

The cable said Kapur claimed that “money was not an issue at all, but the crucial thing was to ensure that those who took the money would vote for the government.” According to the cable, Kapur then showed the embassy employee “two chests containing cash . . . for use as pay-offs.” The cable said the chests held about $11 million.

In an interview with the Times Now news television channel, Kapur said, “I vehemently deny this malicious allegation.”

Rajiv Shukla, a Congress Party lawmaker, defended the government in an interview. “Quoting WikiLeaks in Indian parliament is ridiculous, frivolous and trivial,” he said. “No government in the world recognizes WikiLeaks. The allegation has got no basis.

“I dare the opposition leaders to say that they treat every word of WikiLeaks as the holy scriptures, the Bhagwat Gita, Bible and Koran,” Shukla said. “They will not because tomorrow WikiLeaks can leak something against them, too.”

Shukla pointed out that the lawmakers mentioned in the cable as Kapur’s cash recipients had eventually voted against Singh in the parliament vote. “This demolishes the allegation,” he said.

In June 2008, three opposition lawmakers also had displayed wads of cash in parliament and said they were offered money to abstain from voting. Singh’s coalition won the vote of confidence, 275 to 256.

The Hindu newspaper published another WikiLeaks cable on Tuesday that said an outspoken, pro-Iranian petroleum minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, was replaced by a pro-American minister in 2006, ahead of President George W. Bush’s visit to India. This also embarrassed Singh in parliament on Wednesday.