Congress targets Ram Madhav over corruption allegations, RSS leader says he will file defamation suit

Former J&K governor Satyapal Malik purportedly alleged that Madhav offered him 'a bribe of Rs 300 crore to clear two files related to Ambani' when he was in office

The Congress on Tuesday asked why the CBI or ED is not knocking at the doors of RSS leader Ram Madhav after former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik alleged that he was involved in corruption, a charge strongly rejected by the former BJP general secretary.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said in October 2021, Malik had claimed that a senior RSS functionary had offered him a bribe of Rs 300 crore to clear two files related to "Ambani" when he was the Jammu and Kashmir governor. He claimed that in an interview to a YouTube channel on Monday, Malik named the RSS functionary as Madhav.

Asked about it, Madhav told PTI that these are “totally false allegations".

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"The CBI has already thoroughly investigated the matter. I will be filing defamation charges against the peddlers of these false allegations very soon,” the RSS leader said.

Malik was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 2018 and October 2019, and in October 2021 he was the governor of Meghalaya.

"Why is the CBI or ED not knocking at Ram Madhav’s doors, given that a former governor has exposed him," Khera asked.

The Congress leader asked why the CBI had openly questioned the former governor at its headquarters but why has Ram Madhav not been called for questioning yet.

"The ED-CBI raids or interrogates opposition leaders time and again, but why not BJP leaders? Why these double standards?"

Khera also played out the purported interview of Malik.

"If Malik is speaking the truth then why the CBI, ED or other agencies have not taken action against Madhav, else there should be action against Malik if his claims are untrue," he said.

Khera also claimed that Malik has sought Z-plus security as a former governor but he has only been provided with a PSO and is living in his own house, whereas former Congres leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has been given a government bungalow and Z-plus security.