Advani, Jaitley visit cash-for-votes accused Kulkarni in Tihar

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders L K Advani and Arun Jaitley on Wednesday visited Tihar jail to meet Sudheendra Kulkarni and former party members of Parliament lodged at the jail in connection with the cash-for-vote scam.

Advani, who arrived at Tihar in the afternoon along with the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, spent about half-an-hour with Kulkarni, the BJP stalwart's former aide and two former MPs Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora, sources said. It is understood that Advani assured them of extending all legal help to pursue the case, they said.

While Kulkarni was arrested on Tuesday and sent to Tihar by a Delhi court for his alleged role in the 2008 scam, the two former party MPs had been arrested in connection with the scam earlier this month.

Kulaste and Bhagora along with their colleague Ashok Argal had created a sensation by displaying wads of currency notes worth Rs 1 crore in the Lok Sabha during the July 2008 trust vote and alleged that the money was given to them to buy their votes.

They had alleged that Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh had offered them the bribe on behalf of the ruling Congress party to save the United Progressive Alliance-I government. Singh was granted bail on health grounds which has been rejcted by the trial court.