Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday attacked the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and alleged that he took bribes of Rs 1 crore in the name of his family and said that he was the "kingpin" of the khichdi scam.
"The kingpin in this whole scam is Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson, Sanjay Raut.
Sanjay Nirupam also took a dig at Amol Kirtikar, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Mumbai North-West and reiterated his "khichdi chor" remark for him.
"Today is April 8 and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from North-West Mumbai (Amol Kirtikar), 'Khichdi Chor' has been called by the ED.
Sanjay Nirupam was recently expelled from Congress's primary membership for six years over 'indiscipline' and 'anti-party statements'.
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday attacked the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and alleged that he took bribes of Rs 1 crore in the name of his family and said that he was the "kingpin" of the khichdi scam.
Nirupam was referring to the alleged irregularities in the distribution of 'khichdi' to migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The kingpin in this whole scam is Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson, Sanjay Raut. He has taken money in the name of his daughter, brother and partner. He has taken bribes through cheques in the name of his daughter Vidhita Sanjay Raut, who herself is innocent and unaware of these things," Nirupam said.
advertisement
Hitting back at the expelled Congress leader, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said that Nirupam was trying to malign Sanjay Raut's image ahead of Lok Sabha elections, set to take place in five phases in Maharashtra.
"He is raising a four-year-old issue, why have you been silent for this long?... When Congress expelled him and he was roaming for a ticket, he asked every party for this and when nothing seemed to be working, he is now conspiring to malign the image of Shiv Sena," Dubey said.
Stressing that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders are not afraid of the ED or the possibility of going to jail, Dubey said Nirupam seemed to have learnt the BJP culture too soon and appealed to the voters of Mumbai to not pay any heed to such allegations as those levelled by the former Congress leader.
Sanjay Nirupam also took a dig at Amol Kirtikar, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Mumbai North-West and reiterated his "khichdi chor" remark for him.
"Today is April 8 and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from North-West Mumbai (Amol Kirtikar), 'Khichdi Chor' has been called by the ED. What ED does after the interrogation, I don't know, but action must be taken against him. The people from the North-West district should know how dishonest their possible candidate is," Nirupam said in a press conference.
Notably, Kirtikar has been investigated by the Economics Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter, as he was named as one of the alleged beneficiaries to whom the funds were diverted by the Khichdi contractors.
Sanjay Nirupam was recently expelled from Congress's primary membership for six years over 'indiscipline' and 'anti-party statements'.
With ANI inputs
Published By: Vivek Published On: Apr 8, 2024
