Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Wednesday refuted allegations levelled by a BJP leader, saying he owns no land, house or shares in India. BJP leader N R Ramesh has alleged that with the help of five senior government officials, including forest department officials, Sam Pitroda illegally acquired 12.35 acres of government land worth Rs 150 crore in Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
Ramesh, a former councillor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has complained to the ED and the Karnataka Lokayukta. “In view of the recent reports in the Indian media, both on television and print, I wish to state it categorically – I do not own any land, house or shares in India,” Pitroda said in a statement on the social media platform ‘X’.
“Furthermore, while working with the Government of India – whether with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s or with Dr Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014 – I have never taken any salary,” the US-based Congress leader said. “Furthermore, I want to put it on record clearly that I have never taken or given any bribe in my entire life (83 years) in India or any other country. This is the absolute truth,” Pitroda added.
