NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra, who withdrew from the Rajya Sabha race from Jharkhand at the last moment, on Friday claimed to have introduced PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to senior executives of 2G scam accused companies when the panel was probing the 2G spectrum case, a charge rubbished by the BJP veteran.
Mishra, who was supported by a section of the BJP as a Rajya Sabha nominee, dropped out following a directive from the BJP central leadership to its MLAs not to vote for him.
In an interview to CNN-IBN, Mishra claimed that he was BJP's fund-raiser for over a decade. He also said that Joshi called him seeking funds for elections. Mishra claimed to have played a role in Joshi's poll campaign in 2004 and 2009.
Talking to rediff.com soon after his controversial disclosures, Mishra said: "I am going after all of them (BJP leaders) one by one. I have been working for the party and collecting funds for them under the banner of Friends of BJP."
Joshi said Mishra's allegations were "fabricated" and whatever he was saying with regard to him is absolutely wrong and a "concoction".
"This is a case of a defeated man taking out his anger at senior party leaders once the party made it clear that the BJP MLAs in Jharkhand would not take part in the elections for the Upper House," Joshi told rediff.com.
Reacting to the development, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee, told PTI that Dr Joshi will have to explain the allegations "threadbare" as it is not an attack on an individual but on the chairperson of an important parliamentary committee that went into the 2G scam case.
The NRI businessman alleged that Joshi had held secret meetings with 2G beneficiaries in his presence as PAC chairman.
"...Joshi met with 2G accused companies in my presence. If he would openly deny it I'm ready for any probe.....I don't know whether it was quid pro quo or just to get briefed about the 2G scam. But he met few very senior functionaries of these companies...," he said.
The controversial PAC report on 2G could not be adopted by the committee last year following protests by Congress members.
Mishra said he was ready to cooperate with investigation agencies to prove his charges.
"I am ready to face any Parliamentary probe committee. I think Parliament should intervene and investigate Dr Joshi's phone records," he said.
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Additional Inputs: Agencies
