Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam accuses Uddhav Thackeray of secretly meeting Gupta family

Sanjay Nirupam/ File Photo

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam has alleged that Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), held a secret meeting with the Gupta family during his recent visit to Delhi. The Gupta family has been implicated in various scams in South Africa. Nirupam stated that while Thackeray's meetings with leaders of the INDIA bloc were widely publicised, the meeting with a member of the Gupta family was kept confidential, reported ANI.

Nirupam told ANI, "It was publicly announced that Uddhav Thackeray went to Delhi to meet the leaders of the INDIA bloc. The meetings he had with all the leaders were publicized widely. But one meeting was kept secret and that was with a member of the Gupta family. Gupta's family committed scams in South Africa and they had to abscond from there in 2018."

He, according to the news agency report, further mentioned that two of the Gupta brothers are currently absconding and have Interpol red corner notices against them, residing in Dubai. Ajay Gupta, another brother, is in India and is also implicated in the suicide case of businessman Baba Sahni in Uttarakhand, for which he has been out on bail since July 11.

"The then president of South Africa Jacob Zuma also had to leave his position because of them and then he was also removed from his party. Two of the Gupta brothers are absconding and there are Interpol and red corner notices against them. They are in Dubai. The third brother among them, Ajay Gupta is in India. Ajay Gupta is also an accused in the suicide case of a businessman in Uttarakhand, Baba Sahni. He has been out on bail since July 11," Nirupam alleged per ANI.

Nirupam questioned Thackeray's motives, asking, "Why did Uddhav Thackeray meet such a person discreetly? Did he want money from Ajay Gupta for the upcoming elections?"

Thackeray was in Delhi from 6 to 8 August, engaging in various discussions with leaders of the INDIA bloc.

Reportedly, the Gupta family has been embroiled in controversy since 2018 when the South African government began investigating corruption allegations against former president Zuma. The former leader is accused of allowing widespread corruption during his presidency, while the Gupta brothers are alleged to have exploited their connections to influence government appointments and profit financially.

The Gupta brothers - Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh - migrated from Uttar Pradesh to South Africa in the 1990s and built a vast business empire in sectors including computer equipment, media, and mining. Their actions contributed to Zuma's resignation in 2018 amid significant backlash from members of his own African National Congress (ANC) party, the ANI report added.