‘ ₹5.5 crore found’: Sanjay Raut claims Sena(UBT) foiled plot to bribe house panel

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said he would request the assembly speaker and council chairperson to set up a separate ethics committee to ascertain the truth

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that his party workers thwarted an attempt to ‘bribe’ the state legislature's estimates committee during their visit to Dhule district to inspect developmental works.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that more than ₹5 crore in cash was found in a room at the government rest house in Dhule city.(PTI file)

The estimates committee, headed by MLA Arjun Khotkar from Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Sena, is empowered to scrutinise the utilisation of funds allocated to a particular area in the state budget.

Cash in the room

In a post on X on Wednesday night, Raut alleged that more than ₹5.5 crore in cash was found in a room at the government rest house in Dhule city. “When the legislature estimates committee visited Dhule district today (Wednesday), about five and a half crore rupees were kept in room number 102 at the Dhule government rest house, Gulmohar, for giving bribes to the committee,” the Rajya Sabha MP claimed.

Raut also claimed that his party MLA Anil Anna Gote and local Sena (UBT) leaders locked the room and stood guard outside. “Despite informing the district collector, superintendent of police and Anti-Corruption Bureau, no one has come even after four to five hours. There is no cooperation from the administration. The bribe was meant to suppress corruption in development works and officials’ involvement in it,” he further alleged.

The Sena(UBT) leader called for a probe to find under whose name the concerned room number 102 was booked in the government rest house. MLA Gote claimed that the room was booked in the name of Khotkar’s PA Kishore Patil.

Khotkar rubbished Raut's allegations and linked the episode to his personal assistant (PA) Kishore Patil. He also claimed that money allegedly found in the government rest house was not linked to the committee. “I spoke to my PA. He said he hadn’t booked that room. He had booked the one next to it,” he said.

Dhule superintendent of police Shrikant Dhivare told reporters that the matter was being probed.

Fadnavis reacts

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed it as “serious” and said, “The whole truth is not known. But the truth must come out. A question mark on a legislative committee cannot be tolerated. The respect and dignity of the legislature have to be upheld. An SIT (special investigation team) will be formed to ascertain the truth. Probe will be conducted into the money trail and whether anyone has asked for it.”

The BJP leader also said he would request the assembly speaker and council chairperson to set up a separate ethics committee to ascertain the truth. “Under no circumstances should the functioning of a legislature committee should come under a cloud,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)