BJP MP Meena accuses Vaibhav Gehlot of corruption, to hand over 'evidence' to ED

Jaipur, June 8 (IANS) After submitting a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the Department of Information Technology and Communication (DoITC) over an alleged scam worth Rs 5,000 crore, Rajasthan BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena will now submit a separate complaint against Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, to the agency on Friday.

Meena will reach the ED office on Friday and hand over 'evidence' against Vaibhav Gehlot and Fairmont Hotel owner Ratankant Sharma, his team told IANS.

The BJP MP alleged that about Rs 100 crore has been invested in Hotel Fairmont by a shell company based out of Mauritius. This money belongs to Gehlot and his family members which was first sent to Mauritius via hawala channel, Meena alleged.

Meena, while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Thursday, accused Gehlot, his son Vaibhav Gehlot, and daughter-in-law Himanshi Gehlot of making illegal investments worth crores of rupees in five-star heritage hotel business by creating fake and dummy companies.

Alleging illegal land conversion, illegal construction, encroachment of pasture land and irrigation department's land, Meena demanded an investigation by the ED.

Meena mainly pointed out alleged irregularities at Raffles Hotel in Udaipur, Taj Aravali Hotel, Nimdi Palace in Mount Abu and Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.

He alleged that Vaibhav Gehlot and Himanshi Gehlot are involved in benami business at Fairmont Hotel with funds invested from Mauritius, and part of the profit made from the said business is being further transferred to one dummy company of Vaibhav Gehlot named Sunlight Car Rental Services Pvt Ltd.

Also, Ashok Gehlot and Vaibhav Gehlot indulged in money laundering and made benami investments in Fairmont Hotel under the ownership of Triton Hotel and Resort Pvt Ltd, Meena alleged in a press note, adding, "Ashok Gehlot had given permission to construct the Fairmont Hotel and under his government on 21/08/2009, the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) had approved the site plan of Triton Hotel and Resort, i.e., Fairmont Hotel, which was all done with the malafide intent of Gehlot for bringing in his share of 50 per cent partnership in the hotel."

The MP said, "Vaibhav Gehlot had invested his crores of rupees from Mauritius and he is continuing his business in the benami name of 'SivNar'. If the same is not true, Ashok Gehlot being the head of the state and being under the oath of holding a constitutional post is being asked questions like 'why Congress government had approved the construction of a hotel (Fairmont) by JDA and RIICO in the Kukas area, which is half owned by JTC/Minerva, which was part of the Panama paper leak scam'?

"Why Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot was the legal advisor in Triton Hotels (Fairmont Hotel) which has over Rs 95 crore of unaccounted money-launderer's money?

"Why Vaibhav Gehlot is receiving lakhs of rupees monthly under the name of 'Sunlight Car Rental' from Fairmont, which is under the ownership of money-laundering company JTC Fiduciary and has invested unaccounted Mauritius money to the tune of Rs 95 crore in it?

"Why Vaibhav Gehot was the business partner with 50 per cent share with Ratankant Sharma in 'Sunlight Car Rental' when Ratankant is already clearly involved in money laundering regarding the Mauritius investments received in Fairmont Hotel?

"Why Ratankant Sharma was removed from the list of directors and shareholders from 'Sunlight Car Rental' only before money was being channelised to Sunlight from Triton Hotel and Resort Pvt Ltd? If Vaibhav Gehlot has nothing to do with the black money invested in Fairmont, why didn't Ashok Gehlot demolish the illegal construction done in violation of the approved construction plan for Fairmont Hotel?"

Meena also said that he would hand over the evidence related to the entire matter to the ED on Friday.