NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said no government members were involved in vote-buying to win a confidence vote in 2008 and doubted the veracity of the claims, defying resignation calls over the issue.
The scandal over cash for votes is unlikely to immediately endanger Singh’s government, but it increases the pressure on Singh already battling allegations of graft in cases ranging from grant of telecom licenses to apartments for war widows.
The opposition forced parliament to adjourn for a few hours on Friday, demanding Singh resign after a US diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks said his ruling Congress party paid bribes to win the confidence vote in parliament.
“No one from the Congress Party or the government indulged in any unlawful act during the trust vote. The government rejects the allegation as absolutely false,” Singh said in a statement to India’s Upper House of parliament. “I have not authorised anyone to purchase any votes,” Singh told a conference earlier on Friday.
Newspaper editorials said the report was unlikely to affect government stability as the charges were old. But with Singh’s reputation as an honest elder statesman tarnished, the political space for reforms will further shrink, analysts said.
