“The vital portions pertaining to our specific charges regarding bribery have been edited out of the tapes,” Faggan Singh Kulaste and Ashok Argal told The Indian Express. “They have been clearly tampered with. We want an investigation into this aspect,” Kulaste added.

Deo, when reached for comments, said: “No such complaint (pertaining to an alleged doctoring of tapes) was made. The evidence given by the complainants today was the same as stated by them in their written complaint earlier.”

The issue is bound to figure at the next meeting of the committee scheduled for August 11. The committee has asked CNN-IBN to depute its representative for recording its evidence the same day. The channel had recorded the alleged scam through hidden cameras with the assistance of senior BJP leaders and the three party MPs, but had stopped short of telecasting the footage.

Kulaste replied in the negative when asked if they would demand a CBI inquiry now. Both Kulaste and Argal appeared before the panel together though normally a House committee hears people separately. The position taken by the two members was that they had made a joint complaint and therefore needed to be heard together. Their stand drew support from Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Mohammad Salim of the BJP and CPI(M), respectively. The third complainant, Mahavir Bhagora, could not appear before the committee as he is recuperating from a surgery.

Deo said a total of 11 CDs concerning the scam, received by the Speaker, have been passed on to the House panel. Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh, who allegedly contacted the BJP MPs, is likely to be called for evidence on August 18. Asked about SP Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, Deo said, “We have not come to that stage yet.”

The committee chairman, who has been mandated by the Speaker to give his report by August 11, appeared quite sure of getting an extension till the end of this month. “The Speaker has never declined such a genuine request,” he said.