Indian Minister: £83K Is Not Enough For Scam

An Indian politician has insisted the £83,400 his colleague allegedly embezzled was too small an amount to be taken seriously.

Steel minister Beni Prasad Verma was speaking in defence of Salman Khurshid, a law minister accused of taking government money set aside for a trust which helps disabled people.

Mr Verma told The Times of India newspaper: "I believe he could not have embezzled 71 lakh (7.1m rupees; £83,400). It is a very small amount for a central minister.

"I would have taken it seriously if the amount was 71 crore (710m rupees; £8.3m)."

The allegations have led to protests on the streets of New Delhi

In an editorial, the newspaper said Mr Verma's comments were "grossly ill-timed and ill-phrased".

"The comments reflect the rather blase attitude that the political class has developed towards corruption," it added.

Mr Verma later tried to withdraw his remarks, saying that corruption on any scale was wrong.

Mr Khurshid, 59, denies all the allegations against him.

Corruption has been one of the biggest political issues in India over the past two years.

A string of scandals have hit the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sparking protests.

Activist Anna Hazare, who models himself on independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, last year led hundreds of thousands in street demonstrations against endemic bribe-taking and corruption.

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