Congress, Ujjwal Nikam brawl over ₹ 17 lakh payment

The Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that the BJP candidate Ujjwal Nikam took ₹ 17 lakh from the state government for hotel accommodation

Mumbai: The Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant on Thursday alleged that the BJP candidate at Mumbai North Central, Ujjwal Nikam took ₹ 17 lakh from the state government for hotel accommodation while appearing as a special public prosecutor in the 26/11 attack case in 2010. But he had been allotted a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) flat at Versova in 2010 by the state government through its quota. Congress asked Nikam to clarify why he took the money from state exchequer when he already had a house in Mumbai. Nikam refuted the allegations saying the accommodation bill was part of the conditions accepted when he was hired as a special prosecutor and there was no question of ethics since he was not a public servant.

Ujjwal Nikam (Hindustan Times)

Sawant said it was the Congress led government that appointed him special public prosecutor for the 26/11 Mumbai attack and paid ₹ 50,000 per hearing and many other perks. But he got a bill for hotel stay between 2011 and 2014 passed by the state government later, he added.

“I am not a public servant and was appointed as a special public prosecutor on several conditions. It was my choice where to stay and where not to. The then state government accepted all those conditions. Sachin Sawant needs to understand the role of a special public prosecutor. There is no question of ethics here,” said Nikam.

Nikam has been fielded by the BJP as its candidate in Mumbai North Central in place of sitting MP Poonam Mahajan. His opponent is Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad