India charges four politicians in bribery investigation into parliamentary vote
Four Indian MPs have been charged over an alleged cash for votes scandal during a crucial confidence vote faced by the ruling Congress party in 2008, a police official has said.
The four men charged were Amar Singh, Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora, the senior official, who declined to be named, said.
The Socialist party MP Amar Singh has been accused of bribing three legislators from the opposition Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) to vote in favour of the government. The police official did not give any more details about the charges.
Wednesday's news came as a scandal-plagued government struggled to find a solution to end an eight-day hunger strike by a popular activist demanding strict anti-corruption legislation.
Anna Hazare's fast has drawn tens of thousands of Indians to his protest, in the heart of the capital, and inspired smaller anti-corruption rallies across India.
The alleged bribery scandal in parliament first surfaced in March, when a leaked US diplomatic cable, obtained by WikiLeaks, said the Congress party bribed MPs before the vote over a nuclear deal with Washington.
The cable, from a US embassy official, said a Congress party functionary showed him two cases full of cash meant to bribe MPs to vote with the party. An Indian newspaper report alleged the MPs were paid $2.5m each to buy their support.
Days after the cable's contents were reported, the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, told parliament no one from the government or the ruling party had bribed MPs during the vote.
The government has been hit by a series of corruption scandals in recent months, related to the selling of a mobile phone spectrum and the conduct of last year's Commonwealth Games.