I acted on instructions of Samajwadi Party chief: Amar Singh on WikiLeaks expose

Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh today admitted that he was asked by his party to negotiate a deal with the UPA-I government at the time of the crucial trust vote in 2008, which saw cash-for-vote scam.

"I was involved (in the deal) at that time as a member of a particular political party. I was following the instruction of the leader of the party," Singh, an unattached member of the Rajya Sabha, said in the House.

Participating in the short duration discussion on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on the WikiLeaks expose on cash-for-vote scam, the former Samajwadi Party general secretary said he was being described as a main player in the episode by leader of the opposition Arun Jaitley.

"Jaitley alleged that I stuck the deal. The deal was stuck at that time. Before the government supported the nuclear deal, CBI was conducting preliminary enquiry. I got involved in this deal on an assurance that enquiry (by CBI) would be stopped," he said.

Singh, who is not seen very often in the House now, said his name was also mentioned by home minister P Chidambaram.

He demanded that thorough enquiry should be made to find out who crossed the floor during the crucial confidence vote.

"All those people should be investigated. There are members of two sides who have crossed the floor," he said.

He also demanded investigation into the role of a television channel, which conducted a sting operation.