Raut fears Somaiyas may flee country, seeks lookout notice against them

Shiv Sena has claimed that former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil may flee the country even as the Mumbai police are probing the alleged misappropriation of over ₹57 crore from funds collected to save decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

Shiv Sena has claimed that former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil may flee the country even as the Mumbai police are probing the alleged misappropriation of over ₹57 crore from funds collected to save decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Sena Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday appealed to the Centre to issue a lookout notice against the Somaiyas.

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. HT File Photo

Raut told reporters that efforts were under way in Raj Bhavan to create “bogus evidence” in the form of backdated documents to save Somaiya and warned against any such efforts to do so.

Last week, Raut had accused Somaiya of siphoning off funds collected from people as donations to save INS Vikrant. The Mumbai police had registered a case of cheating against the Somaiyas based on a complaint filed by an ex-serviceman.

“I fear that till anticipatory bail is arranged… they may flee India. So, a lookout notice must be issued immediately,” Raut said, claiming that Somaiya was on good terms with fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi and may join him abroad.

He said Somaiya was underground and was exerting pressure via New Delhi to get anticipatory bail and that fake documents were being created to let him off the hook.

“There are efforts under way to create bogus evidence in favour of Kirit Somaiya. I am warning Raj Bhavan that if it allows these wrongs to be committed, it will destroy whatever little respect that it has left… I have information that since yesterday, members of the Kirit Somaiya mafia have been going to Raj Bhavan and trying to create backdated documents,” the Sena leader alleged. “Raj Bhavan should not connive in such anti-national activity. This is a huge scam,” he said.

A Raj Bhavan spokesperson said Governor BS Koshyari was aware of these allegations and a clarification would be issued if he wanted.

Raut said funds had been collected within Maharashtra, and from outside the state and country, and this money had been misused. “Why has BJP refrained from commenting officially on this?... is BJP supporting the Vikrant ghotala?”

However, BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar said Somaiya was taking the legal course and added Raut was giving varying figures of the alleged misappropriation, while the FIR gave a different number. “This is nothing but vindictive politics,” he said.

Bhatkhalkar questioned why chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had not commented on the raids on the residence of Yashwant Jadhav, the former chairperson of the civic standing committee.

Atul Londhe, general secretary and spokesperson, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, asked where Somaiya had “suddenly disappeared” and called on him to face a probe.

Sena mouthpiece Saamana also lashed out at BJP and blamed it for the protest outside Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s residence.

An editorial accused BJP of nurturing and promoting Gunaratna Sadavarte, the lawyer representing the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers. A group said to consist of MSRTC employees staged an agitation outside Pawar’s house on Bhulabhai Desai Road in south Mumbai on Friday, while hurling stones and footwear.

“It clearly seems that the opposition party [BJP] has contributed in creating this demon called Sadavarte. If the opposition is unable to fight some battles, it uses such ‘Gunaratnas’, and deploys them against the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi [government],” the editorial said.

Sadavarte had used incendiary language and called for storming Pawar’s house, it said and added that the Mumbai police should have become alert since then. Saamana pointed to an intelligence failure and also likened Sadavarte’s style of functioning to that of ‘urban Naxals’.

The editorial said most of the demands of the workers had been accepted and they had been given a substantial rise in their salaries. Most of the 92,000 employees had also resumed work, it said, adding, however, a group under Sadavarte kept protesting at Azad Maidan.