Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday alleged that BJP leader Kirit Somaiya “extorted” crores in the form of donations from companies under the scanner of Central agencies.
Talking to reporters, Mr Raut alleged the Somaiyas controlled 'Yuvak Pratisthan' received “suspicious” donations from several companies.
Kirit Somaiya was not available for comment.
“Money has been extorted under the guise of donations. The companies that are being probed by the CBI and the ED, this guy (Kirit Somaiya) extorts donation from such companies," Mr Raut alleged.
These days, whenever a big company is raided by the ED and the CBI for (financial) irregularities, then whosoever has been a beneficiary of it is probed and arrested, he claimed.
"Nawab Malik's (NCP minister who has been arrested) case is the same. Others also have the same issue (of being arrested or probed for being an alleged beneficiary from the company),” Mr Raut said.
He said that Metro Dairy in West Bengal was under the radar of Central agencies for alleged irregularities in its disinvestment.
“The ED and the CBI also raided the company. In 2019, Kirit Somaiya received a few lakhs from this company. Such companies give lakhs and crores of rupees to Yuvak Pratishthan. There are nearly 172 such companies. This is the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Raut added.
He also alleged that under the pretext of being a crusader against corruption, Mr Somaiya, a former MP, has been extorting money for the last several years.
The Charity Commissioner has received complaints regarding this, he said, adding that even the Mumbai Police are conducting a probe.
“Kirti Somaiya has been unmasked. He misuses the CBI and the ED and extorts money,” Mr Raut alleged.
In the past, Mr Raut had made similar allegations against Mr Somaiya, who has been critical of the Shiv Sena and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Last month, the Sena MP had alleged that Mr Somaiya siphoned off crores of money in the name of saving the decommissioned warship INS Vikrant from being scrapped.
On Monday, the wife of Kirit Somaiya filed a written complaint against Sanjay Raut, accusing him of making "malicious and mischievous" statements against her in the media.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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