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Tuesday, September 8, 1998

Chaudhary claims to be innocent

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE  
AHMEDABAD, Sept 7: Former home minister in the Rashtriya Janata Party regime Vipul Chaudhary has said that dragging his name in the criminal complaint filed with the Anti-Corruption Bureau by the State government in connection with purchase of police vans in 1997 amounted to witch-hunting.

It may be recalled that during the RJP regime, the home ministry purchased around 225 vehicles from the Bajaj Company for the police department through the Mehsana-based Rajkamal Motors Company. Chaudhary claimed he was one of the partners of the said agency.

The present government, in its FIR report, has charged him with taking Rs 6 crore as commission from the Bajaj Company in purchase of the vehicles. Dubbing the charges as ridiculous, Chaudhary said, "how can I take that much amount as commission when the total money spent on purchase of vehicles came to only some Rs 6 crore?"

Clarifying his position, Chaudhary said the amount he took as commission hardly came to around Rs 3 lakh of which, he claimed, he had clear proof as the amount was paid to him through cheque. He said the amount of money he took as commission was as per rules.

Chaudhary further claimed that the present government has itself purchased vehicles worth Rs 6 crore from the Bajaj Company for the health department again through Rajkamal Motors on March 23 this year. , Chaudhary also distributed among reporters copies of the cheque through which the State government had made payment.

The RJP leader categorically stated that Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel's son-in-law Mayurbhai Desai along with the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Bhatt's son Bhushan Bhatt had personally visited him to ask for share in the commission in the purchase of vehicles. "I have got the audio cassette of the conversation they held with me." he claimed.

Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.


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