MUMBAI/NAGPUR: Congress MLA Baba Siddique will have to face the Shiv Sena's ire following his allegation in the state legislative assembly on Thursday that Sena CEO Uddhav Thackeray figures in the Nira Radia tapes as a recipient of bribe from two corporate houses in the power sector, reports Times of India.
"Siddique's charges are baseless. The Radia tapes have exposed Congress as a cabal of contractors and 'dalals'. Siddique should worry about his party," said Sena leader Sanjay Raut.
Stating that there was "not a grain of truth" in Siddique's allegation, Raut said, "Sena leaders will meet in Mumbai on Friday to decide the party's strategy on the issue." Enquiries revealed that Matoshree may go for a Sena-style agitation against the Congress MLA from Bandra. As the Congress stock is at its lowest, its partymen were now trying to implicate Opposition leaders in the Radia row, Raut stated. Matoshree is also upset that not a single Sena MLA rose to refute Siddique's charge which he made while participating in a discussion on the worsening power crisis in Maharashtra.
In his speech, Siddique claimed that the controversial Radia tapes contain references to Uddhav for "taking bribes". Siddique read out a few portions of the transcript in the assembly.
Siddique alleged that the tapes have snatches of conversation between Radia and a senior executive of a power company. In the conversation, they mention Uddhav and claim that he has been accepting bribe from two corporate czars. Opposing Siddique's statement, BJP MLA Devendra Phadanvis said the allegation was baseless.
However, Siddique reiterated the allegation outside the House, and told reporters that the conversation is between Radia and a woman (who, Siddique claimed, is the spokesperson for a power company). Judging from the content of the tapes, it can be easily surmised that the two were referring to Uddhav Thackeray as taking bribe from two corporate houses in the power sector, he claimed.
