Don’t take action against me, wife, Somaiya requests state

Somaiya said that his wife or their NGO — ‘Yuvak Pratishthan’- were not involved in any such scam as claimed and they are ready to provide whatever information the state government desires

Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya urged the state government not to take any action against him and his wife Medha in the alleged toilet scam.

On Friday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleged misuse of Mira-Bhayander civic body funds by an NGO (non-government organisation) run by the Somaiya family (Hindustan Times)

Somaiya said that his wife or their NGO — ‘Yuvak Pratishthan’- were not involved in any such scam as claimed and they are ready to provide whatever information the state government desires.

Somaiya made the request by writing a letter to Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, state urban development department on Saturday. The allegations are related to Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation and all the civic bodies that come under the urban development department.

On Friday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleged misuse of Mira-Bhayander civic body funds by an NGO (non-government organisation) run by the Somaiya family.

“We have not done any scam… Yuvak Pratishthan too has not constructed any toilet without guidance of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The scheme was brought back in 2002-04 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. It was started on pilot basis in seven civic bodies in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Yuvak Pratishthan is one of the NGOs that cooperated for its implementation. Medha Somaiya has done a PhD on slum rehabilitation and thus help was sought. It was not a private scheme but all the decisions for its implementation were taken either by the state government or the concerned civic body,” stated the three-page letter.

“We have serious cognizance of the attempts to malign our image. I request you not to get misused by the false allegations made by Sena leaders to defame Medha Somaiya,” it adds.

Raut said that he would expose a “toilet scam” involving the Somaiya family. “Funds of Mira-Bhayander municipal corporation were misused by Kirit Somaiya and his family. I have all the evidence and a case is being filed against that,” he said on April 15.

Gagrani was not available for comment.

On April 13, Somaiya was granted pre-arrest bail by the Bombay high court in the case over the alleged misappropriation of funds to preserve INS Vikrant, the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. The matter is being investigated by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW).