BJP’s Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som has courted yet another controversy. The BJP leader has been accused of taking a bribe of Rs 43 lakh by a party worker on the promise of fetching him a contract of construction work, which never happened.

Complainant Sanjay Pradhan, who is a BJP worker and resident of Ghat village, approached the SSP office in this regard on Saturday. In his complaint to SSP Rajesh Pandey, Pradhan said that Som took a bribe of Rs 43 lakh from him in three instalments with the promise of providing him contract of construction of a college building in Dadri village of Sardhana area. But neither he got the contract nor his money was returned.

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The SSP has directed SP (rural) Rajesh Kumar to investigate the charges and submit a report. Confirming the development, SP(rural) Kumar said that he had received the complaint forwarded by SSP and will start his probe shortly.

In his statement to the media, complainant Pradhan said that Som has promised him a contract of construction work at a degree college for which he paid him Rs 43 lakh in three instalments.

“I gave Rs 15 lakh to MLA’s representative Shekhar Som, another 25 lakh to the owner of a resort who confirmed the MLA on phone about receiving the money and another Rs 3 lakh to his brother Sagar Som at his residence as directed by the MLA,” he said, adding that he did not get the contract and his money was also not returned. Now, finding no way out to recover the money, he approached the police.

Meanwhile, MLA’s representative Shekher Som denied the charges and said, “We have no acquaintance with this man and his charges are beyond truth”.

This is not for the first time that Sangeet Som has faced such charges. Last year, a resident of MLA’s native village in Sardhana had accused him of not returning his money which was more than Rs 18 lakh. He was a partner with Som in his brick kiln and ended his partnership after which Som was allegedly supposed to give him the money which he did not get. Later, the matter was resolved at a Panchayat organised in the village.

Sangeet Som often courts controversies through his statements. Earlier, his remark on Taj Mahal created a flutter, before that his statement on Muzzaffarnagar riots made headlines.

“When the matter would come to our notice the party would analyse the facts,” said Ashwini Tyagi, Regional President of BJP here.

The BJP had faced another embarrassment when Deepak Hudda, the husband of a Panchayat member, accused Meerut (south) MLA Somendra Tomar of taking bribe of over Rs 40 lakh for diverting votes to his (Hudda’s) wife who was contesting election for the post of Zila Panchayat’s president.