New Delhi: On March 27, an hour after the Uddhav Thackeray division of the Shiv Sena announced Amol Kirtikar as its Mumbai North West Lok Sabha candidate, the Enforcement Directorate issued a notice to Kirtikar.
The central agency asked Kirtikar to appear at its Ballard Estate offices in Mumbai in connection with what it claims is the ‘khichdi’ scam.
Kirtikar is Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar’s son. Gajanan is, however, in the ruling Eknath Shinde camp of the Shiv Sena.
The case alleges irregularities worth Rs 1 crore in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s distribution of khichdi as part of meals to migrant workers who were left homeless and without transport during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. Uddhav Thackeray was then chief minister and ran the coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The investigation was initiated after a complaint raised by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.
The case is being investigated by the state’s Economic Offences Wing and the ED, both. The ED has arrested other leaders of Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in connection with it, including a close aide of Thackeray’s son Aaditya’s – Suraj Chavan.
Chavan’s arrest came in January this year. On March 27, the Shiv Sena (UBT) announced the names of 16 candidates from Maharashtra for the general elections. Within an hour, according to reports, the ED issued summons to Kirtikar.
“The moment his name was announced as a Lok Sabha election candidate, he got a summon from ED. This is only an attempt to scare, but we won’t be scared,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut told the news agency ANI.
Raut’s aide Sujit Patkar is also named in the case.
