Click to play videoNew Delhi: A day after his son was accused by a Pune-based builder of having accepted a Rs 1-cr bribe, former union minister and Chairman of Nation SC/ST Commission Buta Singh lashed out and said he was being made victim of a political conspiracy.
Responding to the allegations made by Ram Rao Patil, a builder and a former member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Buta Singh said Patil was taking revenge on him for instigating an inquiry against his (Patil’s) fraudulent deals.
“When the CBI came to my house instead of looking out for him, I asked them why didn’t they start official inquiry on him. They told me they couldn’t find him in all of Maharashtra,” he told CNN-IBN.
Without naming the NCP, Buta told CNN-IBN he was being made a victim and that he does not know Patil. “A political party is behind this. Patil is the henchman of this influential party. He did at their behest. He attacked my son because he can't touch me. It's a big lie. First of all I request the complainant to identify himself. Such attacks on me have happened before. I will not name the political powers involved in it. This entire conspiracy has been hatched to in view to ruining me and my family,” he said.
The Congress leader also said his political career had been scot free. “I have been a minister in 15 ministries, my carrier was scotfree and now that I have caught the culprit in the fraud case, they are gunning for me. If I have done anything then I am ready to die. Why should I resign,” he said.
On Thursday, Buta's son Sarvajyot Singh was arrested by the CBI on the charges of accepting a Rs 1-cr bribe from Patil, to clear charges against him of cheating Dalits.
Ram Rao Patil was Vice President of NCP's youth wing. He is accused of cheating 100 dalit workers from 2004-2007 by taking loans against their names after aquiring their signatures on blank sheet.
Speaking with CNN-IBN, Patil gave details of how he allegedly met Sarvajyot in Delhi near Khan Market.
“I met Buta Singh’s son in Khan Market. He said Papa has asked for Rs 3 crore to close this case. He had called me to his house, where I met Anup Kumar Bedi – of the Maharashtra Mazdoor Congress – who took my mobile. When I said I couldn’t give so much, he settled to Rs 1 cr. When I was giving the money to him in Mumbai, he was caught,” he said.
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