Not furnished ‘proof’ to Kirit Somaiya against party colleague, says Shiv Sena leader

Audio clips ‘doctored’, would be moving the court: Former Minister Ramdas Kadam

A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader from the Konkan region has released a series of audio clips purporting that Shiv Sena leader and former Minister Ramdas Kadam had allegedly furnished ‘proof’ of irregularities against his party colleague and Minister Anil Parab through an RTI activist to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.

Mr. Kadam on Saturday denounced the clips released by MNS leader Vaibhav Khedekar and former NCP MLA Sanjay Kadam (both of whom are from Dapoli in Ratnagiri district in the Konkan) as ‘doctored’ and said he would be moving the court against those who had attempted to defame him.

Mr. Kadam said Mr. Khedekar, a municipal councillor and general secretary of the MNS, had previously attempted to throw dirt on him as he had been consistently exposing alleged scams involving the MNS leader.

Relations extremely cordial

He claimed that he had not met Mr. Somaiya for nearly two decades and that his relations with his party colleague Mr. Parab are “extremely cordial”.

“Anil Parab has been consistently helping my son [Dapoli MLA Yogesh Kadam] in the Konkan…our relationship is very close and we are family friends,” said Ramdas Kadam.

In one of the clips, which purportedly details an undated conversation between a person believed to be Mr. Ramdas Kadam and an RTI activist Prasad Karve, the Sena leader expresses approval on learning that the Lokayukta had ordered the demolition of Mr. Parab’s (apparently illegally constructed) office in Bandra.

The voice, alleged to be Mr. Kadam’s, is heard saying Mr. Parab would now have to resign after this (demolition) incident as a police case and a probe were imminent, while the person believed to be Mr. Karve is heard informing the Sena leader that Mr. Somaiya would be duly filing the case against Mr. Parab.

Shadowy financial dealings

“This is utterly contemptible… Even before this, I have been targeted by Khedekar as me and my son have exposed his [Mr. Khedekar’s] shadowy financial dealings… Furthermore, I have nothing to do with this person called Prasad Karve and have not met Somaiya in the last 15-20 years,” said Mr. Kadam, vehemently denying that the voice in the audio clips was his.

He accused Mr. Khedekar of producing such ‘doctored’ audio clips in the past as well and using it ahead of local elections to defame him within the party and with other communities.

Hitting out against Sanjay Kadam (who had released the clips with Mr. Khedekar), Mr. Kadam alleged that the former was bitter as his son had defeated Mr. Sanjay Kadam’s son in the last Assembly election.

Mr. Parab, Transport Minister and is considered to be a confidante of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had recently appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze, in his statement, had claimed that Mr. Parab had allegedly received crores of rupees through Nagpur’s deputy regional transport officer Bajrang Kharmate as kickbacks for effecting police transfers.

Mr. Parab has also been targeted by Mr. Somaiya over allegedly ‘illicit’ constructions in the Konkan and elsewhere following which the Shiv Sena leader had filed a defamation suit against the BJP leader seeking ₹100 crore in damages. The Bombay High Court on Friday had issued summons to Mr. Somaiya, directing either him or his advocate to be present in court on December 23 in connection with Mr. Parab’s suit against him.

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