New Delhi, February 27
Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda on Thursday claimed that he does not own any land, home, or stocks in India and has never accepted a salary during his tenure with the Indian government, as he refuted recent media reports while also asserting that he has never paid or accepted a bribe in India or any other country in his 83 years of life.
Taking to X, Pitroda posted: "Statement for the Record. In light of recent reports in the Indian media, both on television and in print, I wish to categorically state the following: I do not own any land, home, or stocks in India. Additionally, during my tenure working with the Government of India--whether with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the mid-1980s or with Dr Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014--I have never taken/received any salary."
He further stated that throughout his life, he has neither accepted nor paid any bribe, calling it the "absolute and irrefutable truth.""Furthermore, I want to put on record, unequivocally, that I have never in my entire life--spanning 83 years--paid or accepted any bribe, in India or in any other country. This is the absolute and irrefutable truth," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday accused Pitroda of engaging in "anti-India activities" and alleged that he illegally held onto a leased plot of land in Bengaluru's Yelahanka forest area.
"Sam Pitroda not only indulged in the anti-India statement but also got sanctioned to lease land in Bengaluru in Yelahanka forestland, and the lease period was five years. Neither he has renewed the lease nor he has given back. He is keeping it illegal. He indulged in anti-India activities under the guidance of Rahul Gandhi making pro-China statements. His lease has already expired. The land should be taken over by the state government, and criminal action should be initiated against him," Joshi told ANI.
- ANI