Patel’s kin not corrupt: Congress

Raipur, January 17, 2012

Responding to BJP Kisan Morcha’s (BJPKM) allegations that PCC president Nandkumar Patel’s nephew Rajesh had embezzled Rs 18 lakh while working as a manager in Nandeli (Raigarh) cooperative society, the Congress quickly came out in his rescue and termed him innocent. 
“Rajesh is a clean-imaged person and has never been involved in any irregularity. The BJPKM’s charges are baseless and rather intended to sully the image of PCC head by making his family members soft target,” countered the party general secretary and Raigarh Lok Sabha incharge Bhupesh Baghel and PCC’s chief spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi while talking to the media persons at Congress Bhawan on Tuesday.

“Even the BJPKM’s claims that Rajesh has been suspended are false as he is very well discharging his responsibility at same office,” the duo clarified.  

“The amount was of course in the form of cheques and meant to distribute the farmers as payment against procurement of their paddy. But what the BJPKM state president Sandeep Sharma alleges that Rajesh wanted to embezzle the entire amount was ridiculous and shows the BJP government’s growing frustration on Congress movements and agitations against it,” the duo said.

“The cheques were actually kept safely in the society as several farmers could not turn out to receive their share due to recent rains. The Raigarh Collector also saw the cheques in the society during his January 4 visit to the society,” the duo added.

“A team of BJP members too had visited Nandeli society but they could not find any irregularity there. There is no complaint from any farmer regarding payment by far. On the other hand, the BJP has compelled some farmers to lodge false complaint to the Collector that Rajesh refused to give them cheques and asked to go back,” they said.

The duo announced that the Congress will send a defamatory notice to the BJPKM for wrongly dragging Patel and his family into the concocted issue.

“We too are collecting evidences against corrupt ministers of the ruling party and would soon knock the doors of Lokayog and court, but the BJP has adopted the cheap route to tarnish the image of our party president by merely giving sensational statements,” they said.