Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday alleged that Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Uddhav Thackeray) had a secret meeting with “a member of the Gupta family”, who has been accused of committing a scam in South Africa.
Nirupam said, “It was announced publicly that Uddhav Thackeray was going to Delhi to meet the leaders of the INDIA Alliance. The meetings he had with all the leaders were widely publicised. But one meeting was kept secret and that was with a member of the Gupta family…”
The Shiv Sena leader said the Gupta family had been involved in fraud in South Africa and fled there in 2018. “The then president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, was also forced to resign because of them and subsequently he was also expelled from his party,” Nirupam said.
He further alleged that two of the Gupta brothers – Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta – are on the run and that there are Interpol and red corner notices against them. “The third brother among them, Ajay Gupta, is in India,” he said.
He said that Ajay Gupta is also an accused in the suicide case of an Uttarakhand businessman, Baba Sahni. “Ajay Gupta is out on bail since July 11,” he said.
In this regard, Nirupam asked, “Why did Uddhav Thackeray meet such a person secretly?… Did he want money from Ajay Gupta for the upcoming elections?…”
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam claims, “It was announced publicly that Uddhav Thackeray was going to Delhi to meet the leaders of the INDIA Alliance. The meetings he had with all the leaders were widely reported. But one meeting was kept secret and… photo.twitter.com/pEnT1x5yrh
—ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2024
He also said that Uddhav Thackeray should make it clear whether he has any investments in South Africa. “Do you have any investments in South Africa? Does the Gupta family have any role in that investment? Did you have any business transaction with Baba Sahni that you wanted to sort out?” the Sena leader asked.
About the Gupta family
The Indian-born Gupta brothers – Atul, Ajay and Rajesh – built a sprawling business empire in South Africa after moving there in 1993, when the country opened up to foreign investment as white-minority rule crumbled.
In 2018, South African investigators said the Guptas conspired with former President Jacob Zuma to embezzle state assets through a scheme that by one estimate cost billions of dollars.
Earlier this year, 58-year-old Ajay Gupta and another relative, Anil Gupta, were arrested in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state. The case concerns the death of Satinder Singh Sawhney, a 52-year-old developer who worked with the Guptas on housing projects.
His body was found on May 24 at the bottom of an apartment building. Sawhney's son said he left a suicide note accusing the two men of threatening him.
The Times of India quoted public prosecutor Girish Pancholi as saying that Sawhney accused Ajay and Anil Gupta of “forcing him to commit suicide” after they “filed fake complaints” against him.
(With input from agencies)
