There was no cash: Nachiketa Kapur

Nachiketa Kapur, who has been named as an aide of Congress leader Satish Sharma who according to WikiLeaks cables allegedly flaunted of money to a US diplomat to buy lawmakers to save the government in 2008 over the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, has vehemently denied the charges.

“I vehemently deny the malicious allegations. There was no cash,” Nachiketa Kapur told NDTV over phone.

He said he would file defamation case if he came to know of the US official who named him.

“I only know Sharma, I never worked for him,” he said.

Congress leader Satish Sharma, who is known to be close to the Gandhi family, also said he never had an aide called Nachiketa Kapur.

The set of communiqu?s, or cables, between U.S. diplomatic officials — accessed by The Hindu daily — show that they were assured by Nachiketa Kapur, an alleged aide of Congress leader Satish Sharma, that the party had gathered about Rs 50-60 crores to buy out votes to allow the agreement since the Left lawmakers had withdrawn support opposing the deal with USA.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said the present government at the centre is not accountable to the 14th Lok Sabha, as he faced the clamour for resignation of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime over the latest WikiLeaks expose that MPs were bought for cash to the save the then government in 2008 during the Indo-US nuclear deal.