No relationship with Amar Singh, says Sant Chatwal

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Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal on Thursday said that he has no relationship with former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, and denied any connection between his Padma Bhushan and the 2008 Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal.

"Amar Singh and I have no relationship. I know of everyone due to my standing in the community, but as to whether he donated money [to the Clinton Foundation], I have zero idea," Chatwal told ANI in an exclusive telephonic interview.

'Clinton Cash', a book authored by Peter Schweizer, the president of the U.S.-based investigative research organisation Government Accountability Institute, claims that Amar Singh had donated between USD one to five million to the Clinton Foundation in 2008.

The book further speculates that the money was a conduit for 'powerful interests' in India to push for the Indo-US nuclear deal and was instrumental for Hillary Clinton, who was the then Senate India Caucus Co-Chair, to vote in favour of the agreement.

The New York-based hotelier further stated that no one reason can be given for his being conferred with the honour.

"I feel that I was awarded the Padma Bhushan because of a number of reasons-due to my role during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit of the US, including arranging a dinner for him at the White House; due to my prominence in the Indian-American community. Yes, I also did have a small hand in the Indo-US nuclear deal, but, since that agreement was signed in 2008, and I was conferred with the Padma Bhushan only in 2010, I feel the two are not related," he said.

The book also brings Chatwal under the scanner due to the 'crucial' role he played behind the scenes as well as the Padma Bhushan which was awarded to him by the UPA-II Government in 2010.

Meanwhile, Amar Singh has denied the charges and has claimed that he is a victim of 'assumptions and rumour mongering'.