Mumbai: When people were without jobs, his income shot up 400 pc

Updated On: 13 October, 2023 07:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan

EOW sources tell mid-day that Suraj Chavan, close aide of Aaditya Thackeray, was allegedly paid off Rs 45 lakh as ‘consulting fee’ in the awarding of khichdi kitchen contracts during peak COVID

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Suraj Chavan at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on June 26. File Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), in its investigation into the Rs 6.37-crore khichdi scam, has revealed that the company under the scanner in the case paid Rs 45 lakh to Suraj Chavan, Aaditya Thackeray’s close associate, as ‘khichdi consultancy fees’. The amount Chavan was being paid by the firm saw a 400 per cent increase during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—a time when people across the globe were losing jobs or experiencing salary cuts. In exchange, he allegedly secured vital contracts for it from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the government.

Suraj Chavan, a close aide of Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, on May 1, 2023. File Pic/Rane Ashish