In Sanjay Raut vs Kirit Somaiya, row over ₹57 cr crowd-funded for INS Vikrant

BJP leader KIrit Somaiya, the target of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s attack on Wednesday, dismissed the Sena leader’s claims, daring him to produce the evidence to back up his charge.

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya of siphoning off ₹57 crore that he said was crowd-funded in 2013-14 to preserve India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant after it was decommissioned by the Indian Navy.

India's first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was dismantled at a ship-breaking yard in Mumbai after it was decommissioned by the navy (AP File photo)

Raut told reporters in Delhi that a campaign led by Kirit Somaiya in 2013-14 collected ₹57 crore from the public to turn INS Vikrant into a museum rather than be broken down and that this money was to be deposited with the Raj Bhavan. But according to a right to information (RTI) response received from Maharashtra’s Raj Bhavan, Raut said this money was never deposited with them.

Sanjay Raut the Maharashtra government will definitely probe the issue as it happens in its jurisdiction. “This is a matter of national security where he has taken money in the name of Defence wings. This is treason,” he said.

Kirit Somaiya was dismissive of the charge, saying that this was an attempt to divert attention and Raut must produce the evidence in support of its allegation.

Raut said after the navy decided to decommission INS Vikrant, which had served the country for decades, Somaiya started a campaign to collect money to save the historic aircraft carrier to target the then Prithviraj Chavan government which had declined to spend crores on the project. Raut claimed ₹57 crore was crowd-funded in this campaign.

There was a hue and cry as the Navy expressed its inability to maintain it for long after it was decommissioned. There were plans to turn it into a maritime museum but none of them worked out and it was finally scrapped. It was around this time that Somaiya ran a campaign to save the aircraft carrier and collected money from people, according to Raut.

“In several parts of Mumbai including Churchgate, Chembur, Navy Nagar, Kirit Somaiya collected money to save INS Vikrant. At many places, retired Navy staff have also contributed. In all about ₹57 crore were collected. Somaiya had offered to raise funds and said the amount collected would be handed over to the Maharashtra Governor at Raj Bhavan. A reply to an RTI query by Dhirendra Upadhyay showed that Raj Bhavan had not received such money,” Raut told reporters in New Delhi.

Somaiya delivered his rebuttal in Mumbai.

When asked if he collected funds to save the warship, Kirit Somaiya said, “He has made the allegations. Earlier he alleged that I collected ₹7,500crore and gave the money to Amit Shah, ₹400 crore from Palghar, he’s made numerous claims but he hasn’t been able to give any document. Instead of waving a piece of paper at a press conference, he should give it to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray... I have not misused any political position for corruption.”