Mumbai, Apr 8 (IANS): In a startling revelation, sacked Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut is the ‘kingpin’ of the infamous ‘khichdi scam’ for which he took bribes through his family members and business partners.

“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) should widen the ambit of its investigation to include the family members of Sanjay Raut and he should be arrested. He is the main kingpin of the entire scam in which money meant to feed poor migrants was looted,” said Nirupam.

He claimed that the accused company Sahyadri Refreshments had allegedly paid bribes in cheques which were deposited in the bank accounts of Raut’s daughter, his brother and one of his partners.

The multiple cheques issued by Sahyadri Refreshments, amounting to around Rs one crore were deposited into Raut’s daughter and his brother, as well as a business partner’s bank accounts on different dates between May 2020 - January 2021, Nirupam contended.

He reeled off the cheque amounts of Rs 3.5 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, Rs 1.25 lakh, Rs 3 lakh (daughter’s bank account); Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1.25 lakh (brother’s account) and partner Sujit Patkar’s accounts cheques of Rs 14 lakh, Rs 14 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 1.90 lakh and Rs 1.90 lakh.

Nirupam added that the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had awarded Sahyadri Refreshments a contract to provide 300 gms ‘khichdi’ at Rs 35/plate for the stranded migrants at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

“In turn, Sahyadri Refreshments gave a sub-contract to another party which would supply 100 gms ‘khichdi’ at Rs 16/plate. This means that 200 gms of ‘khichdi’ intended for the poor, stranded, migrants was ‘stolen’ by Sanjay Raut and his partners,” declared Nirupam.

Moreover, he claimed that the sub-contractor had allegedly shown the kitchen of a private restaurant in the western suburbs to fulfil the contract requirements, “that too, without the knowledge of that restaurant, and its owner has filed an affidavit to this effect”.

All these shocking goings-on were perpetrated when the then CM Uddhav Thackeray used to come live on social media every other day and assured that he had taken the responsibility of feeding and welfare of the stranded labourers.

Nirupam called upon the ED to expand the scope of its probe into these aspects and arrest Sanjay Raut as well as SS (UBT) Lok Sabha candidate Amol G. Kirtikar for their involvement in the ‘khichdi scam’.

Incidentally, Nirupam described Raut as his ‘friend’ and the duo had worked as Executive Editors of ‘Dopahar Ka Saamana’ and ‘Saamana’ published by the Saamana Group of Newspapers, controlled by the Thackeray family, and both were named as party Rajya Sabha MPs.

Nirupam was expelled by the Congress last weekend after he launched a venomous tirade against the party’s top leadership as well as Maha Vikas Aghadi ally SS (UBT) leaders, and is now likely to switch sides to another political party.