BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde.
Credit: X/@TawdeVinod
Mumbai: In the centre of controversies revolving around a cash-for-votes scam, BJP’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde on Wednesday said that he was "not a fool" to indulge in such activities in a hotel owned by his political opponents.
BVA founder Hitendra Thakur, who is a six-time MLA from Vasai and his son Kshitij Thakur, who is a three-time MLA from Nalasopara, alleged that their party colleagues and workers had seen Tawde distributing money at the Vivanta hotel in the Virar area of Palghar district.
The BJP leadership, including state party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis denied the charges.
While the Thakurs claimed that Rs 5 crore cash was brought for distribution, the Election Commission, the Palghar Collectorate and Vasai Virar-Mira Bhayander police Commissionerate said Rs 9.93 lakh cash was recovered from the hotel rooms.
"The Vivanta Hotel is owned by the Thakur-family... I am not a fool to go to their hotel and distribute money there,” said Tawde, a former legislator and minister. “I have been in politics for 40 years.. you all know me,” Tawde said in Mumbai.
On the charges of violating the model code of conduct, he said, “I know of the silence period before the polls and was having a chat with party workers. I was not campaigning.”
Fadnavis, who was in Nagpur, said that Tawde was there to meet party workers. “He was not campaigning… he was not carrying anything, nothing was found on him... instead, Tawde and our Nalasopara candidate Rajan Naik were attacked. BJP workers were targeted,” he said, adding that the Maha Vikas Aghadi “ecosystem” has done this sensing their defeat.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “Tawde is the national general secretary and will a person in that position distribute money in this way? It should be considered. As the election has gone out of hand, the opposition is defaming the BJP and Tawde.. the political opponents made a film, they did media management. Tawde has fallen prey to conspiracy.”
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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