Accused of taking bribe, BJP legislator Sangeet Som rubbishes charge

Controversial BJP MLA from Sardhana, Sangeet Som, has landed in another row with a contractor lodging a complaint with the police that the lawmaker took a bribe of Rs 43 lakh from him for providing a construction contract.

Sanjay Pradhan, a resident of Ghat village who calls himself a BJP worker, lodged a complaint with senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajesh Pandey on Saturday accusing Som of taking the bribe for providing him the contract for construction of a college building in Dadri village of Sardhana.

Pandey has directed SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar to investigate the charges and a submit report.

Pradhan claimed that the money was given to the MLA in three instalments over the last one year. He allegedly gave the first instalment of Rs 15 lakh to Shekhar Som, the MLA’s representative. Then he gave Rs 25 lakh to a hotel owner, who communicated the message of receiving the money to the MLA, and the last instalment of Rs 3 lakh was given at the house of the MLA’s brother Sagar Som.

Sangeet Som has rubbished the allegation and said the complainant is associated with the Samajwadi Party and was masquerading as a BJP supporter.

“The allegation is on the people associated with me. Construction work for the Dadri college started almost two-and-a-half years ago, then how one could give assurance for contract of an under-construction building which he (Sanjay Pradhan) is talking about. He is also lying about his association with BJP. In fact, he is associated with Samajwadi Party (SP) and maligning my image on direction of the SP.”

He further said: “I have asked the SSP to conduct a fair investigation in the case. I will also file a defamation case against him (Pradhan).”

Som is a popular figure among the Hindu Right and he is also among the accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots.

BJP’s West UP president Ashwani Tyagi said that: “Sanjay Pradhan is not a member of district working committee. The matter pertains to district unit and I am not confirmed about his association with BJP.”

Shekhar Som also denied the charges. “We don’t know Pradhan and the charges leveled by him are baseless,” he said.

SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar said he had received the complaint forwarded by the SSP and that he would begin his probe soon.

Earlier this year, a resident of the MLA’s native village in Sardhana had charged Sangeet Som of not returning his money after he allegedly terminated his partnership with the MLA for a brick kiln. The matter was later said to have been settled in a panchayat organised in the village.