He said that already the central investigation agencies have gleaned enough evidence that she had paid ₹150 crore to AAP leaders.
BRS MLC Kavitha has asked the ED for a fresh date, owing to her proposed dharna on 10 March at Delhi. (Twitter)
BJP National Executive member and former MP G Vivek on Monday, 27 February, said the next leader to be arrested in connection with the Delhi liquor scam would be BRS MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha.
Speaking to media persons in Hyderabad, he said that already the central investigation agencies have gleaned enough evidence that she had paid ₹150 crore to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.
“Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has already been arrested. It will be Kavitha’s turn next,” he said.
The BJP leader said that Kavitha’s grandiose plan was to implement a liquor policy all over India that is in force in Telangana and benefit from it.
“In Telangana, the state government is earning a revenue of ₹40,000 crore which once used to be ₹10,000 crore.
Kavitha wanted similar policy adopted all over the country,” Vivek said, predicting that more people are going to be arrested soon.
CBI officials had on 11 December last year, interrogated Kavitha for several hours at her Banjara Hills residence in connection with the Delhi liquor scam case.
On 7 February, the CBI arrested Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA) Butchibabu Gorantla, who is said to be an associate of Kavitha.
Butchibabu, who had been summoned to Delhi for questioning, was arrested for his alleged role in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy and is said to have benefitted Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners under the policy for 2021-22.
On 11 February, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) — which is also probing the case according to the CBI FIR — told the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi that the main arm of the entire Delhi liquor scam rests on the conspiracy orchestrated by the “South Group” with the AAP leaders.
The ED questioned Butchibabu on 23 and 24 February in Tihar jail, and questioned the role of the “South Group” and Kavitha’s involvement in it.
According to the FIR, the “South Group”, comprises YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Magunta Raghav, Kavitha’s representatives Arun Ramachandran Pillai and Abhishek Boinapally, and others.
According to the ED, the “South Group” paid the kickback, to the tune of ₹100 crore, in advance to Vijay Nair, who is communications in-charge of AAP and was managing the entire scheme and conspiring on behalf of the leaders of the AAP.
In lieu of the advance kickback payment, Vijay Nair ensured that the “South Group” secured stakes in wholesale businesses as they had no toehold in Delhi liquor business. He ensured that they were allowed to hold multiple retail licenses over and above what was permissible as per the excise policy and that they were given other undue favours.
According to the remand report, Sameer Mahendru formed IndoSpirits as a partnership with 65 percent given to the representatives of the “South Group” — Arun Pillai and Prem Rahul Manduri, who represented Kavitha and Raghava and MSR, respectively in this partnership firm.
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