Kesri knew MPs were bribed: Mahato

The trial of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and 19 others in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Parliament members bribery case began in a Central Bureau of Investigation court on Tuesday.

Deposing in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke as the first prosecution witness, approver Shailendra Mahato said that Congress president Sitaram Kesri was aware of bribing of MPs to defeat the no-confidence motion against the Rao government on July 28, 1993.

Mahato said Kesri, who was Congress treasurer then, had called him and three other JMM MPs to the Central Hall of Parliament hours before the voting on the motion and assured them that the promises made to them by Rao would be fulfilled.

Mahato also admitted that he and the other JMM MPs -- Suraj Mandal, Shibhu Soren and Simon Marandi -- received Rs 5 million each for voting against the no-confidence motion.

Mahato narrated the sequence of events relating to the bribing of 11 MPs -- four of the JMM and seven of the breakaway Janata Dal (Ajit) group.

Mahato said that a day or two before the beginning of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha on July 26, 1993, he along with the other three JMM MPs went to the residence of Ajit Singh and briefly discussed a joint strategy over the motion.

While returning from Singh's residence, Marandi told Mahato that then petroleum minister Satish Sharma had promised the JMM that each of its MPs would get a petrol pump besides cash and a plot of land in Haryana.

The same day the JMM MPs met Rajya Sabha member V Rajeshwara Rao and another Congress MP Ashok Rao Deshmukh at Andhra Bhavan when a ''meagre amount'' was offered.

Later in the day, the JMM MPs were taken by Buta Singh to Rao's 7, Race Course road residence. Besides a common discussion, Rao had a separate meeting with Buta Singh and Mandal, Mahato told the court.

Asked about the details of the discussion, Mandal told the other JMM MPs that payment of money was discussed but the amount had not been decided.

Mahato said it was after the meeting with Kesri that Mandal told his party colleagues, ''Talks are over. We four should vote for the Congress.''

About the payment, Mahato said that the day after the voting Mandal told him that Rs 5 million had been paid and the remaining money would reach in a day or two.

The promised Rs 5 million each was subsequently paid to the JMM MPs who deposited the amount in the Punjab National Bank branch at Nauroji Nagar in New Delhi -- Rs 4 million in their individual names and Rs 1 million each each in a joint account.

The examination of Mahato by the CBI would continue on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Rao moved three applications in the court on Tuesday, seeking copies of Mahato's statement recorded during his interrogation by the CBI.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Prosecution in JMM bribery case illegal: Rao