Mumbai:
President Pratibha Patil's son and Congress MLA Raosaheb Shekhawat has been asked to explain why a crore of cash was found in his constituency, Amravati.
After the Election Commission asked the district collector to file a report in the matter, a notice has been sent to Mr Shekhawat and several other Congress leaders. Either Mr Shekhawat or his lawyer will have to appear before the district collector on February 21 in connection with this.
The state police had on Saturday recovered Rs one crore from the Amravati district and arrested two Nagpur residents. The cash, recovered during night raids, was hidden in the bonnet of a car.
Mr Shekhawat said the money was meant for distribution among the financially-weak candidates for the local civic polls. But the BJP, which is in the Opposition in the Congress-NCP ruled Municipal Corporation, alleged that the Congress put the money into circulation to influence voters before polls that were held on February 16.
"I had sought funds from the state Congress Committee for distributing them among 87 party candidates as most of them are women and poor. Accordingly, Rs. one crore was sent to me
which was to be distributed at Rs one lakh per candidate and the rest (of the money) was meant for the district Congress committee," Mr Shekhawat said.
The BJP accused Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and the Congress for using cash to woo the voters.
"This money has been distributed under orders of Prithviraj Chavan, his party ministers distributed the money, also distributed it in Zila Parishad elections, crores were distributed," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said.
After the Election Commission asked the district collector to file a report in the matter, a notice has been sent to Mr Shekhawat and several other Congress leaders. Either Mr Shekhawat or his lawyer will have to appear before the district collector on February 21 in connection with this.
The state police had on Saturday recovered Rs one crore from the Amravati district and arrested two Nagpur residents. The cash, recovered during night raids, was hidden in the bonnet of a car.
Mr Shekhawat said the money was meant for distribution among the financially-weak candidates for the local civic polls. But the BJP, which is in the Opposition in the Congress-NCP ruled Municipal Corporation, alleged that the Congress put the money into circulation to influence voters before polls that were held on February 16.
"I had sought funds from the state Congress Committee for distributing them among 87 party candidates as most of them are women and poor. Accordingly, Rs. one crore was sent to me
which was to be distributed at Rs one lakh per candidate and the rest (of the money) was meant for the district Congress committee," Mr Shekhawat said.
The BJP accused Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and the Congress for using cash to woo the voters.
"This money has been distributed under orders of Prithviraj Chavan, his party ministers distributed the money, also distributed it in Zila Parishad elections, crores were distributed," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said.
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