‘What was he doing in a hotel with Rs 5 cr?’: Congress seeks EC action on allegations against BJP’s Vinod Tawde

“Voting is about to take place in Maharashtra, and just before that, BJP leaders are busy influencing the elections using money.” The Congress wrote. “This includes workers as well as big leaders. The Election Commission should take cognizance of this matter and take strict action.”

An Election Commission official said that Rs 9.93 lakh had been recovered from Tawde’s hotel rooms. The police have registered an FIR in the matter.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asked, “Modiji, from whose SAFE did these 5 crores come? Who looted the public’s money and sent you in the tempo?”

Kharge, the Congress president, also hit out at the BJP, writing on X, “Modi Ji wants to make Maharashtra ‘SAFE’ with ‘Money Power’ and ‘Muscle Power’!” He added, “On one hand, there is a deadly attack on the former Home Minister of the state, and on the other hand, a senior BJP leader is caught red-handed with Rs 5 crore in cash! This is not the ideology of Maharashtra; the public will respond by voting tomorrow!”

During a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate demanded the Election Commission take immediate action against the BJP leader. “Tawde was found in Virar East of Mumbai, and he is not a voter there; he has no business being there according to rules and regulations. What was he doing in a hotel with Rs 5 crore in cash and a diary that has entries of Rs 15 crore? To whom was this cash being distributed? Why was this cash being distributed? Why is the EC quiet until now?” asked the Congress leader.

“We have seen money power being abused in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. We have seen the kind of money that has exchanged hands. We have seen how this government came into being by stealing a popular mandate, by openly buying MLAs, which is exactly what we are witnessing in motion right now. This undermines the vote of Maharashtra, and the state will not take it lying down,” Shrinate said.

‘CAG sleeping for past 10 years’

The Congress leader also raised the issue of the Comptroller and Auditor General allegedly instructing Maharashtra to stop audits, including the performance audit, state-specific compliance audit and thematic audit.

“The CAG has the responsibility for auditing and making the state and central government accountable for every penny they spend or earn. The present CAG has been quiet and has gone into a slumber for the past 10 years. They have even refused to audit the PM CARES Fund, which receives money from the PSEs (public sector enterprises),” she said.

Shrinate said the CAG had “denied 13 crore people of Maharashtra their right to know”. “How much money was spent on their projects? What were the irregularities and scams that took place? They ensured that the people of Maharashtra never get to know the details,” she said.

Shrinate alleged that on October 9, 2023, the CAG instructed Maharashtra to stop audits, including the performance audit, state-specific compliance audit and thematic audit.