Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Lok Sabha candidate Amol Kirtikar on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged corruption case, ANI reported.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the awarding of contracts for the distribution of food to stranded migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“ED has summoned me and I will be present there before the agency today and whatever they will ask, I will answer,” Kirtikar told ANI.
This is the second summons issued to Kirtikar by the central agency. The Lok Sabha candidate from the Mumbai North-West seat skipped the first summons on March 29, reported ANI. The central agency had issued summons notice to Kirtikar on March 27, an hour after the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader’s candidature was announced.
Kirtikar’s father, Gajanan Kirtikar, is the incumbent MP from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency and is part of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena.
What is the ‘khichdi’ scam 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 first information report registered by the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police named 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 scam, The Indian Express reported.
Amol Kirtikar was questioned in connection with the case by the Economic Offences Wing in September when his name came up during the investigation. In October, the Enforcement Directorate registered a case against him under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The central agency has alleged that agents linked to several politicians used their influence to get khichdi distribution contracts awarded to their associates by Mumbai’s municipal corporation. The khichdi suppliers allegedly cheated the civic body by supplying less than the agreed quantity and by submitting inflated invoices.
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