Politicians do it again: bribe voters, call it gift

MP SCHEME: Congress MP Rajesh Mishra doles out cash to relatives of people injured in Holi clash.

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New Delhi: Politicians probably don’t see the difference between bribe and gift.

Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was on Thursday served a notice for distributing money to voters. Congress MP and film star Govinda too faces similar allegations. Now a Congress MP has been found distributing cash to potential voters.

CNN-IBN has pictures which show Rajesh Mishra, Congress MP from Varanasi, doling out notes to the relatives of people injured in a clash between two communities in Varanasi on Wednesday.

Mishra can bee seen handing out Rs 100 notes to people.

On Thursday, the Election Commission served a notice on after his party workers were filmed distributing money. Yadav admitted it was a "mistake" though not a bribe.

Hours after the poll panel pulled him up for violating the model code of conduct for the April-May Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam Singh told reporters in Lucknow: "Yeh such hai ke bhul hui (it's correct, it was a mistake)."

But he added that "every year he gave gifts to people on Holi. It's a tradition, part of Holi celebrations" and not an attempt to bribe anyone. He said he was ready for any "investigation".

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh told CNN-IBN on Thursday evening that Yadav was giving money to his extended family on Holi and not bribing voters.

"I don’t appreciate you for calling me for this story only. Holi celebrations were going on. You prove that it was Mulayam Singh who had instructed that this money be distributed. You prove that there was some political discussion there," said Singh before walking out of the show.

Film star and Congress MP Govinda, too, faces a probe by the Maharashtra state Election Commission after he allegedly doled out cash to some supporters during Holi celebrations.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sanjay Nirupam defended Govinda, saying it is a tradition to give cash gifts during Holi.