NEW DELHI, July 22: The UPA Government today scored an emphatic victory in the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha with a comfortable margin, ending the political uncertainty that will enable the ruling coalition to push ahead with the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.
The motion, which was forced by the Left parties’ decision to withdraw support to the Government on the deal, was adopted with sizeable cross-voting from Opposition members, including at least two visibly from Telegu Desum Party — Jagannath and Adi Kesho Naidu. There was erosion in opposition numbers with only 256 opposing the motion against 275 supporting it.
In a House with an effective strength of 541, the Government needed 271 and in the ultimate result it got four more than the half-way mark, belying predictions of a cliffhanger of a contest.
The day was marred by high drama when BJP members shocked the House displaying bundles of currency notes claiming Rs 1 crore was given to them as advance by a Samajwadi Party leader to abstain from voting.
Charges and counter-charges over the bribery allegations disrupted proceedings for over two hours with the Opposition members not allowing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make his customary reply winding up the two-day debate that was often acrimonious.
In his six-page reply, which was laid on the table, the Prime Minister hit out at the Left parties saying “they wanted me to behave as their bonded slave”. “They wanted a veto over every single step of negotiations which is not acceptable,” he said with regard to the negotiating processes he wanted to undertake with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group before operationalizing the nuclear agreement.
Singh said the nuclear agreement will end India’s nuclear isolation and apartheid and asserted that the agreements negotiated with the US, Russia, France and other countries would enable India to enter into international trade for civilian use without any interference with the nation’s strategic nuclear programme.
The Prime Minister said: “I have often said that I am a politician by accident... Whatever I have done in this high office, I have done so with a clear conscience and the best interest of my country”. M Jagannath of the TDP, who apparently defied the party whip, came to the Prime Minister soon after the vote and congratulated him. Later, he was seen seated in the Congress benches before the result was officially announced by the Speaker.
It was not also clear after the corrections how many abstained and how many votes were cast in all.
Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee was the first to congratulate the Prime Minister followed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is also the UPA chairperson.
The Prime Minister hugged Rahul Gandhi who made a brief speech hailing the Prime Minister’s initiative on the nuclear deal. Singh was also profusely congratulated by almost all the Union ministers and members of the ruling combine who crowded around him while waiting for the official declaration of the result.
As Sonia Gandhi beamed in relief, Pranab Mukherjee was also the centre of attraction for the UPA MPs.
CPI-M member Varkala Radhakrishnan was the lone opposition MP to move to the treasury benches to congratulate the Prime Minister. Leader of the Opposition LK Advani said it is a numerical victory, but there is something like moral legitimacy which is lacking. He admitted that 10 opposition MPs cross-voted. Facing the trust vote after completion of four years in office, Manmohan Singh created history by winning the confidence vote as he is the first Prime Minister of Congress heading a coalition.
This was the second confidence motion moved by a Prime Minister in nine years but the contrast was stark with the earlier one tabled by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in April 1999 which he lost by just one vote. This was also the first time that on a foreign policy and security issue the House was called upon to vote.
During the debate on the second day, Finance Minister P Chidambaram tore into the NDA and the Left parties, saying there can be “nothing more bizarre” than two disparate groups coming together to vote against the confidence motion. PTI

Cabinet reshuffle on the cards?
NEW DELHI, July 22: With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh comfortably winning the trust vote tonight, the talk of an early Cabinet reshuffle is being talked about in political circles.
JMM supremo Shibu Soren has already said he would get the Coal portfolio, the ministry which he had held when he resigned from the Cabinet in the wake of a murder case.
It is still unclear whether the new ally of the Congress — the Samajwadi Party — would join the Government, but a section in the UPA believes that the Mulayam Singh Yadav led party would be willing to do so despite protestations.
The run-up to the trust vote also saw some Congress leaders playing truant for some time so that the leadership assures them to address their grievances.
While several ministries have already been allocated to the Congress allies, a major exercise by the Prime Minister would be a difficult affair. PTI

Storm in LS as BJP MP walks in with alleged bribe money
CNN-IBN chief Rajdeep Sardesai to hand over cash on tape to Speaker
NEW DELHI, July 22: A shocked Lok Sabha today witnessed unprecedented drama when a BJP member walked in the middle of the House flashing wads of currency notes which he claimed was given by a Samajwadi Party leader as bribe for absenting himself from the trust vote.
Opening a black leather bag in the midst of the debate on the confidence motion, Ashok Argal, BJP MP from Morena, surrounded by his party colleagues, displayed bundles of currency notes saying Rs 1 crore was given to him by an SP leader as “advance” for abstaining from today’s trust vote.
As the members raised the issue, the House was surcharged with members from both sides trading charges and crowding in the well. The opposition members shouted “shame, shame” and “chor hai, chor hai” (thieves, thieves) against the Government accusing it of indulging in horse-trading.
In the midst of the flutter, Deputy Speaker Charanjit Atwal adjourned proceedings hurriedly. The Speaker entered he chamber later to adjourn again while the Deputy Speaker deferred proceedings for a third time for an hour till 6 pm.
Even after the adjournment, there was palpable tension in the House with members from rival sides shouting at each others.
Besides Argal, two more BJP members — Mahavir Bhagora and Fagan Singh Kulste — alleged that money was offered to them.
Looking at the press gallery, the BJP members alleged that an SP leader promised three of them Rs 3 crore each, of which Rs 1 crore was paid in advance.
Meanwhile, the television channel which conducted the sting operation of cash on camera offered to three BJP MPs for their abstention today said that it would hand over the tapes to the Speaker Somnath Chatterjee shortly. Confirming that it was his channel that conducted journalistic inquiry into the alleged cash payment to three BJP MPs in return for their abstention following the allegations of horse trading, CNN-IBN Chief Rajdeep Sardesai said that his channel was not involved in any political battle but was only doing an independent probe in the public interest.
“We have not allowed to be involved in the transaction. The whole thing is on the tape and we will hand over the tape to the Speaker,” he said. He also said that the channel would not be telecasting the tape as it involved Parliamentary Privilege but would help the investigation. (Agencies)

How the money changed hands!
NEW DELHI, July 22: The three BJP MPs who surprised everybody by tabling Rs 1 crore in the Lok Sabha today named SP MP Reoti Raman Singh and SP general secretary Amar Singh for striking a deal with them and giving them the cash.
“We were contacted on Monday and told the deal would be struck in Le Meridian hotel here but that could not take place. Later, SP MP Reoti Raman Singh came to meet us at 12:30 am at 4, Ferozshah Road and said please come with me to Amar Singh’s house where the deal would be finalized,” Fagan Singh Kulaste told reporters.
Kulaste, along with Mahavir Bhagore and Ashok Argal, emptied a bag with Rs 1 crore in cash in the Lok Sabha today and claimed this money was given as advance to them to abstain from voting. The house on Ferozshah Road is occupied by Argal.
“In the morning today, Ahmed Patel (Congress) discussed the deal with us. Thereafter, we went with Reoti Raman Singh to Amar Singh’s house where he offered us Rs 3 crore — Rs 1 crore each as advance — there and then. But, we refused to take the money and said it should be delivered at 4, Ferozshah Road,” Kulaste said.
“About twenty minutes later a man came to the residence with two bags full of cash and put it on the table. I asked him to open the bags to show whether the cash was real or fake. Then he took out Rs 1 crore in cash,” said Mahavir Bhagora, another BJP MP who had displayed the wads in the House.
“A man telephoned Amar Singh who told me this money is an advance for the deal,” Argal said. PTI