SURAT: The AAP has raised serious allegations of a conspiracy following the filing of an FIR against their corporator, Jitendra Kachhadiya, in a corruption case in Surat.
According to the details of the FIR, Mahesh Savani, a prominent figure in Gujarat, has been named as the complainant, leading the AAP to allege that the case is an attempt to eliminate their presence in Surat politics.
The complaint, filed by Hitesh Savani, Mahesh Savani's nephew, accuses Kachhadiya of soliciting a bribe.
However, the AAP contends that “Kachhadiya did not ask for a bribe but rather suggested the funds be donated to charity, cow shelters, or for the education of poor children, in line with instructions from officials.”
AAP leaders are questioning “whether Mahesh Savani is behind a conspiracy to frame Kachhadiya.”
The AAP says the accusations are false and politically motivated to damage their reputation.
On September 3, Surat's Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Kachhadiya, and is on the lookout for another AAP corporator, Vipul Suhagiya, in connection with their alleged demand for Rs 10 lakh from a pay-and-parking contractor.
The money was allegedly demanded to prevent the cancellation of the contractor’s Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) contract.
The AAP corporators, representing Wards 16 and 17 in Surat, visited the Magob area, where the SMC had constructed a pay-and-parking facility.
They reportedly found that the contractor had encroached on a nearby vegetable market.
Following this, Kachhadiya and Suhagiya allegedly threatened the contractor with cancellation of his SMC contract and a police complaint.
The contractor was also allegedly coerced into writing an apology letter to the corporators.
Officials said, "The two AAP corporators visited the site, accused the contractor of illegally encroaching on the land designated for the vegetable market. They threatened to have his contract terminated and file a police complaint against him.”