LTC Scam: JD(U) MP Anil Sahani Denies Charges; Refuses to Resign
Anil Sahani was allegedly involved in the Leave and Travel Concession scam.
JD(U) MP Rajya Sabha MP Anil Sahani on Friday denied charges of cheating and corruption in the Leave and Travel Concession (LTC) Scam and refused to step down. This came after Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari earlier gave given his approval to CBI to prosecute Sahani.
The Bihar MP is reportedly the first from the Upper House who will be prosecuted by the CBI.
The MP said he would also talk to lawyers to file a defamation suit. Sahni alleged that he fell victim to a “racket” which operated in raising fake bills for LTC for parliamentarians.
The JD(U) Rajya Sabha member, son of former JD(U) RS MP Madan Sahani, said he would seek time with Chief Minister Kumar, who is now also JD(U) National President, to discuss the issue. Asked who was “conspiring” against him and for what reason, the JD(U) MP who hails from Muzaffarpur, said he did not know persons behind the conspiracy.
“I might be targeted as I hail from a poor community and have been raising issues concerning dalits and have-nots,” the JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP said.
CBI had filed a chargesheet against Sahani alleging that he, in collusion with other persons, used forged e-tickets and fake boarding passes to defraud Rajya Sabha to the tune of Rs 23.71 lakh as travel and dearness allowance reimbursement without undertaking the actual journey.
Besides Sahani, whose term in Rajya Sabha ends in April 2018, others named in the CBI chargesheet were Anup Singh Panwar, an employee of Delhi-based Air Cruise Travels Private Limited, NS Nair, then Office Superintendent (Traffic), Air India and one Arvind Tiwari. Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha get 34 free air tickets in a year for themselves, their family members and associates for domestic travel.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)