Somaiya detained on way to Kolhapur, levels fresh graft claims against Mushrif
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya was detained by the police on his way to Kolhapur, where he was heading to lodge a complaint for graft against rural development department minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya was detained by the police on his way to Kolhapur, where he was heading to lodge a complaint against rural development department minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif. Police action against Somaiya as well as fresh allegations levelled by him against Mushrif led to high-voltage drama and a slugfest between ruling parties and the opposition BJP on Monday. Significantly, Shiv Sena tried to distance itself, saying that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was not aware of the police action, exposing a probable internal rift between the ruling parties.
Meanwhile, Somaiya accused Mushrif of corruption amounting to ₹100 crore in a cooperative sugar factory in Kolhapur by holding majproty share in the factory through a company in which his son-in-law has “benami” ownership. Mushrif rubbished the allegations and said he was being targeted out of “political rivalry”.
Somaiya had announced that he would be lodging a police complaint in Kolhapur against Mushrif for corruption. The local NCP unit threatened to stage protests against the BJP leader, following which the administration issued a prohibitory order to stop Somaiya from visiting Kolhapur. While he was on way to Kolhapur by train, he was detained by local police at Karad, which is about 74 km away from Kolhapur.
Somaiya then held a press conference alleging that a cooperative sugar factory (Appasaheb Nalawade cooperative sugar factory) was handed over to Brics India Private Limited, a firm allegedly owned by Mushrif’s son-in-law Matin Hasin Mangoli, without following any bidding process in 2020. Somaiya alleged that Mangoli is “benami owner” of the Brics India Pvt Ltd, which had no previous experience of running any sugar factory. Somaiya said that 7,185 shares of the sugar factory are held by SU Corporation, a shell company, used by Mushrif to park the money, while 998 shares each are held by Mangoli and one Gulam Hussain. He said that 98% shares of the sugar factory held by Mushrif family.
The BJP leader also announced to expose a third case against Mushrif in the next two days and said that he would submit all related documents to the enforcement directorate (ED) and income-tax department in Mumbai in the next two days. Somaiya alleged that the minister diverted his illegal money earned after becoming RDD minister in 2019 to the sugar factory. This is the second set of allegations by Somaiya against Mushrif. Earlier, he had accused the minister of laundering Rs127 crore.
Somaiya also alleged that Brics has links with the shell companies that were linked to the transactions in Sarsenapati Santaji Ghorpade sugar factory, which was named by Somaiya in the previous case.
Mushrif, a senior NCP leader from Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, rubbished the allegations. “The sugar factory in question had been taken over by Brics in 2012 till 2020 and now being run on the cooperative basis by more than 60,000 farmers as its shareholders. The Maharashtra State Central Cooperative Bank had refused to hand over the factory to any private entity. The sugar factory is debt free now. Neither my son-in-law nor I has anything to do with the factory or Brics. I have been helping the factory as a local MLA of the constituency,” he said.
Mushrif said that he has welcomed Somaiya in Kolhapur and he was ready to provide him every details related to the firms in question. He said he was being targeted because he turned down BJP’s offer to join the party ahead of 2019 Assembly polls.
Police action
Somaiya accused the police of high-handedness. He said the action taken against him by the police in Mumbai was illegal and he was obstructed from traveling to Kolhapur. Mumbai police had allegedly detained Somaiya at his Mulund (Mumbai) residence on Sunday afternoon and tried to stop him at CST station from travelling in Mahalaxmi Express to Kolhapur. The BJP leader said that the police failed to produce the order for his detention and orally cited the prohibitory order issued by Kolhapur district collector. He said the police had no rights to stop him from travelling from Mumbai.
Somaiya had headed for Kagal in Kolhapur to lodge a complaint against Mushrif for his alleged Rs127-crore corruption through transactions, amounting to money laundering. He was stopped at Karad on Monday morning on the basis of prohibitory order issued by Kolhapur collection. The order has said that since there could be threat to his life, he was prohibited from entering the district. “Thackeray government should clarify if my life was under threat from NCP workers or the goons of Mushrif or NCP workers are goons,” he said.
Somaiya has announced to visit Alibag on September 27 to reveal more information related to multiple bungalows owned by Rashmi Thackeray, wife of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. He has also announced to reveal more irregularities in Jarandeshwar sugar factory, which is under control of relatives of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on September 30.
Sena distances itself from police action
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said that BJP leader Kirit Somaiya was disallowed to enter Kolhapur district due to fear of law-and-order situation. Raut, the chief spokesperson of the party, distanced chief minister Uddhav Thackeray from the action against BJP leader, saying it was taken by the home department.
“The action against the one who is making allegations happened by the home department. Nobody should call it vindictive as the home department felt that there could be a law and order situation on both sides. Therefore, there is no need to level allegations at the chief minister personally. Chief minister doesn’t involve himself in such small matters,” Raut said.
He further added. “...if you are using central agencies at the behest of central government and making allegations against prominent leaders and ministers in Maharashtra, which could result in a law and order issue, the state home department can act on it. I spoke to chief minister and he has said that the chief minister office is not involved in the action [against BJP leader] and it was done by the home department.”
The Sena leader also said that the MVA government will not “bow down” and is not “cowardly” to cower down against the action by central agencies. Raut targeted the Centre, saying the central agencies are used to “destabilise and defame” Maharashtra.
“Whatever has been done by the Opposition since yesterday has happened with the backing and support of the Centre and this is an attempt to destabilise and defame Maharashtra. Over the past some days, it has become the opposition’s party programme to level allegations and create a doubt in the minds of people,” he added.
Raut added that there will be “no cracks” in the government due to the “false allegations” by the Opposition. “If they think that there can be a political shift in the state by pressuring leaders, by threatening them of arrest, seizing their properties, harassing their family members, then they are disillusioned. We will face the situation. This government is not cowardly. This fight under the leadership of chief minister and Sharad Pawar will continue. No matter how many allegations are levelled, we will not bow down,” the Sena leader said.
“The courts will decide whether the allegations are true or false. The attempt to destabilise our government will not succeed. Let them make allegations, our government is strong,” he further added.
Somaiya, in his press conference in Pune on Monday, said that he would visit Alibaug to see a property allegedly bought Rashmi Thackeray, CM’s wife. “He (Somaiya) can go on the Moon and Mars and look for properties of our people. There is freedom in this country and state,” he said.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said on Monday that instead of issuing political statements Mushrif should face the probe to prove himself innocent. “We never had given him any offer to join the BJP. He should face the probe if he thinks he is innocent…. It is not true that we are exposing only Sena or NCP ministers, we are going to expose two Congress ministers in next few days,” he said in Pune.
Somaiya after returning to his Mulund residence on Monday evening said that he will expose all 40 ministers in the Thackeray government by December 31.
Somaiya said that he was detained by police at his Mulund residence for more than five hours. “More than 100 policemen were there outside my house. I was not allowed to attend the Ganpati immersion at Chowpatty. I was allowed to venture out only after my lawyer lodged a complaint in Mulund police station. I was manhandled by the police at CST railway station,” he said.