Mumbai: Enforcement Directorate questioned Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Mumbai North West Lok Sabha candidate Amol Kirtikar, in the Khichdi scam case for over eight hours on Monday. Kirtikar is the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and son of Gajanan Kirtikar, sitting M.P from the same constituency belonging to the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Kirtikar Jr had skipped the first summons served on him the same day his party announced his candidature from the Mumbai on March 27 for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The probe agency then slapped another summons asking him to remain present before it on April 8. The ‘khichdi’ scam pertains to irregularities in awarding contracts to distribute ‘khichdi’ to migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier in January ED had arrested Suraj Chavan, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in the same case. The alleged scam took place in 2020 when the undivided Shiv Sena was in power in Maharashtra as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, which also comprised the Congress and the undivided Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar.
The Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EoW) had registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming Sujit Patkar, an aide of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), MP Sanjay Raut and a few officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in the alleged Rs 6.37 crore Khichdi scam. Amol Kirtikar was questioned by the EoW last September when his name came up during investigation. ED register a case of money laundering against Amol Kirtikar a month later.
The federal financial crime agency has alleged alleged that agents linked to several politicians used their influence to get khichdi distribution contracts awarded to their associates. The khichdi suppliers allegedly cheated the BMC by supplying less than the agreed quantity and by submitting inflated invoices.
Meanwhile former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam came down heavily on the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleging the "kingpin" of the Covid19 Khichdi scam was party spokesperson Sanjay Raut taking kickbacks in the name of his daughter, brother and partner.
Nirupam alleged that Raut took bribes through cheques in the name of her daughter Vidhita Sanjay Raut who was unaware of the corruption in her name by father.
