Washington : Asserting that India “quickly became a rich vein” of Clinton Foundation, a controversial book which hit the stands on Tuesday has alleged that the then Indian government rewarded hotelier Sant Chatwal with one of its highest civilian awards for getting Hillary Clinton support the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal in 2008.
The book “Clinton Cash” by Peter Schweizer also alleges that the donations made by some Indian politicians and organisations were instrumental in getting Hillary, who was then a US Senator, to support the nuclear deal, reports PTI.
The allegations have been refuted by the office of Hillary Clinton, who last month announced her second presidential bid. “‘Clinton Cash’ is attempting to rewrite history to fit a pre-determined partisan narrative. It only takes a quick look at Hillary’s actual voting record and statements to see that this conspiracy theory doesn’t even come close to passing the smell test,” Josh Schwerin, spokesperson of the Hillary’s presidential campaign had told PTI.
Schweizer writes in his book: “In the end, both Bill, who initially imposed the sanctions against the Indian government, and Hillary, who supported that policy, played a vital role in getting them lifted.”
“Shortly after the legislation passed, the Indian government granted one of its most prestigious civilian awards (the Padma Bhushan) to a close Clinton family friend precisely because, as they saw it, he got Hillary to support the legislation,” he says in the book and then goes on to write about Sant Chatwal, a New York-based Indian-American hotelier.
“What we do know is that millions were spent on cultivating the relationship with the Clintons, who not only received money directly through lucrative speaking deals, but also reaped millions in donations to the Clinton Foundation,” the book alleges referring to the donations received from India. “Indeed, India quickly became a rich vein of Clinton Foundation support,” Schweizer wrote.
In fact, one full chapter of the book has been devoted on fund received by the Clinton Foundation from Indian companies and individuals. Politician Amar Singh is the other individual prominently mentioned in the book.
