Expelled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has said that Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Thackeray) is the 'real kingpin' of the 'Khichdi' scam in Maharashtra. Earlier, Nirupam had also targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Amol Kirtikar when he was declared the INDIA bloc candidate for the Mumbai North West seat for the Lok Sabha polls. Amid the brewing Khichdi scam case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a summons to Amol Kirtikar.
“When I started working on this scam, I came to know that the 'lead' was someone else. The kingpin in this entire scam is Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut…,” Sanjay Nirupam, who was suspended for six years by Congress, news ANI was quoted as saying.
Continuing his attack on Sanjay Raut, the former MP said, “In this scam, he took money in the name of his daughter, brother and partner. There is a company called Sahyadri Refreshment where Rajiv Salunkhe and Sujit Patkar were involved. partners of Sanjay Raut. The company received a contract worth ₹6.37 lakh to supply khichdi during Covid.”
Nirupam, a candidate on the Congress ticket from Mumbai North West, was angry with the party for allowing its ally Uddhav Sena to claim the seat. This ultimately led to his departure from Congress. Nirupam has accused Kirtikar of being involved in the Khichdi scam.
“Sanjay Raut's family and his friends took it ₹1 crore as a brokerage. ..He has been taking bribes through checks in the name of her daughter Vidhita Sanjay Raut, who herself is innocent and unaware of these things…,” Nirupam added.
When Kirtikar was summoned by the central agency, Nirupam said, “What ED does after interrogation, I don't know, but action should be taken against him. The entire population of the Northwest District should know how dishonest their potential candidate is.”
What is the Khichdi scam?
The Khichdi scam involves irregularities in the contracts awarded by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to companies for the preparation and distribution of khichdi to migrant workers, who were stuck in Maharashtra's capital Mumbai during the lockdown during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020. .
In June 2022, after the split in the Shiv Sena, the subsequent Mahayuti regime – comprising the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and BJP, and later the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction – launched a raft of investigations into the functioning of the BMC. led to the detection of the alleged fraud.
In September 2023, the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police registered an FIR against several persons, including Sujit Patkar, an aide of Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. Other suspects included Sunil alias Bala Kadam, Rajeev Salunkhe of Sahyadri Refreshments, along with some employees and partners of Force One Multi Services and Sneha Caterers.
(With input from agencies)
Unlock a world of benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time inventory management, breaking news and a personalized news feed – it's all there, just one click away! Log in now!
View all political news and updates on DailyExertNews. Download the Mint News app for daily market updates and live business news.
. or less
Published: Apr 8, 2024 7:25 PM IST