By IANS,
New Delhi/Mumbai : Former union minister Buta Singh’s son Sarabjot Singh was Friday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly accepting Rs.1 crore bribe. The former home minister termed the arrest of his son as a conspiracy against his “personal and political life”.
The Congress party distanced itself from the veteran party leader who had held several important positions, including that of home minister, during Rajiv Gandhi’s government.
Reacting to his son’s arrest, Buta Singh said: “This is a conspiracy to malign my political and personal life.” Buta Singh’s son Sarabjot Singh, alias Sweety Singh, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi early Friday after being caught allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs.1 crore from a Nashik-based contractor for withdrawal of a case.
On the CBI’s role, Buta Singh said: “I do not want to comment on the CBI. I know the CBI very well.” He also rebuffed demands for his resignation as chairperson of the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad, giving the party’s position on the issue, told IANS: “The party has nothing to do with it. It is between the CBI and Buta Singh’s son. The law should take its own course.”
The CBI is also trying to ascertain Sweety Singh’s involvement in some other financial transactions, including hawala or illegal money transfer deals.
According to CBI sources, the corruption case against Sweety Singh involves a complaint filed by Nashik-based civic works contractor Ramraj Patil.
Patil had alleged in his complaint that Sweety Singh had demanded a bribe of Rs.3 crore, which was later brought down to Rs.1 crore, for withdrawal of a case under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, filed against Patil by a group of workers employed by him.
Patil is a contractor with the Nashik Municipal Corporation. Around 100 of the conservancy (sanitation) workers employed by him had filed a case alleging he was not paying them their wages and had also taken a bank loan of Rs.10 crore in their name.
Sweety Singh, who was reported to be in touch with the aggrieved workers, approached Patil with an offer to withdraw the case in return for Rs.3 crore, the investigators alleged.
After some haggling, Patil promised to cough out Rs.1 crore but also informed the CBI about Sweety Singh’s alleged demand.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday demanded the resignation of Buta Singh from the chairmanship of the SC/ST commission.
“This is a case of open corruption… Buta Singh must resign,” BJP leader Gopinath Munde said.
However, reacting to the BJP’s demand, Buta Singh said: “Those telling me to take a look at my moral responsibility, should first look at their own moral responsibility. If I have done anything (wrong), I will give my life for it. I will ask the government’s permission to investigate the matter myself.”
Reacting to the issue, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the “law must take its own course”.