Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Vinod Tawde on Tuesday dismissed the alleged cash-for-vote charges against him as "baseless", and urged the Election Commission to conduct an impartial probe into the matter. His reaction came hours after facing allegations of distributing Rs five crore to woo voters in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
Earlier today, the Election Commission filed an FIR against Tawde and BJP candidate Rajan Naik over allegations of cash distribution to voters in Palghar. The case was filed after the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) accused Tawde of distributing the money.
He claimed that he had gone to meet his party workers to discuss election-related issues over tea and that there was no question of him distributing money to voters.
Several BVA members had reportedly barged into the hall of the hotel in Palghar's Virar town where Tawde was present and shot videos of the alleged cash distribution. These videos prompted police to register the two FIRs.
Tawde told news agency ANI that he had casually gone to visit BJP candidate Rajan Naik, who is contesting from the Nalasopara assembly constituency. "Today, as I was passing by that area (Vasai-Virar), our candidate Rajan Naik asked me to join them to have tea. 200-250 booth incharges were present there."
"After I reached the place, we naturally discussed election-related matters, particularly technical processes for polling day and precautions to take. Suddenly, some workers from another party entered and surrounded me, shouting loudly. I later learned they were from the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA)," PTI quoted him as saying.
He further claimed that Hitendra Thakur and his son came there and caused a ruckus, alleging that money was being distributed.
"It is not wrong to go and meet party workers who work day and night for the party. I have been in politics for the last 40 years and I have never been involved in a case relating to money," he added.
He stated that Hitendra Thakur and Kshitij Thakur had dropped him in their car after the situation became chaotic. He also criticised opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and NCP (SP) Supriya Sule for commenting on the incident without knowing the facts.
"I have been in politics for the last 40 years and I have never been involved in a case relating to money. Why are Supriya Sule and Rahul Gandhi saying all this? After all this, Hitendra Thakur and Kshitij Thakur dropped me in their car," Tawde said.
"There is no question of me distributing money. I was merely meeting our workers over tea and discussing election-related issues. These allegations are baseless," he added.
The BJP secretary also sought an examination of the hotel's CCTV footage and an inquiry by the poll body. "Let the CCTV footage be reviewed, and let the Election Commission conduct an impartial inquiry. It will become evident what really happened. Truth and lies will be separated," PTI quoted Tawde as saying.
As the news about the incident broke out, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) slammed Tawde and the BJP, accusing the party of indulging in "cash-for-votes" and "note jihad". The party was also accused of misusing government machinery and engaging in corrupt practices.