Sanjay Raut Alleges Bribery Attempt During Legislative Committee Visit in Dhule

Bribery Allegations in Dhule

Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has claimed that party activists thwarted an attempt to bribe the state legislative assembly's estimation committee during their visit to Dhule district. A senior police official confirmed that an investigation into the incident has been initiated.

In a post on the social media platform 'X' on Wednesday night, Raut alleged that over five crore rupees in cash was discovered in a room at a government guest house in Dhule city.

The Rajya Sabha member stated, "When the estimation committee visited Dhule district today (Wednesday), approximately five and a half crore rupees were placed in room number 102 of the Gulmohar government guest house to bribe the committee."

Raut further mentioned that former Shiv Sena MLA Anil Anna Gote and local Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders secured the room and stood guard outside. He accused, "Despite informing the district collector, the superintendent of police, and the anti-corruption bureau, four to five hours passed without any response... There was no cooperation from the administration. The purpose of the bribe was to suppress corruption in development projects and the involvement of officials."

Raut noted that the committee is chaired by Arjun Khotkar, a legislator from the faction of Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The estimation committee has the authority to investigate the utilization of funds allocated for specific sectors in the state budget. Meanwhile, Dhule's Superintendent of Police, Shrikant Dhivare, stated that the investigation is ongoing.