Amid an already politicised probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the Congress on Sunday sought an investigation into the BJP links of Sandeep Ssingh — the producer of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajputs friend.
Ssingh is under the scanner for a drug case related to Rajput’s death.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on Sunday, “The country wants to know about Sandeep Ssingh. We want to ask with whom is he connected in the BJP and who saves him?”
Singhvi asked, “I want to ask these questions to the government, why did he call the BJP office 53 times in the last two-and-a-half months?”
PTI quoted Ssinghvi as saying political parties do not get into Bollywood matters. “But if a suspect is linked to the ruling party, the country wants to know who is he connected to and who in the BJP is trying to save Sandeep Ssingh.
“Was Sandeep Ssingh the reasons for showing alacrity in ordering a CBI probe? Why are such people linked to the BJP?” he asked.
Singhvi said Fadnavis and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari should answer as to why Ssingh made these many calls to the Maharashtra BJP office and who was his boss.
The Congress leader said Ssingh’s closeness to the ruling party is evident from the fact that he made the biopic on PM Modi. “He is not a common person as none other than the then CM Devendra Fadnavis released the posters of this film.”
He also PTI reported that Singhvi as saying that a case of assault on a minor Swiss national was lodged against Ssingh on March 29 in Mauritius, as per documents available from the Indian embassy.
Singhvi’s comments came a day after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh saying he will seek a CBI probe into an alleged link between the BJP and the “drug nexus” in Bollywood.
The Indian Express quoted Deshmukh as saying, “Sandip Ssingh had made a biopic of the Prime Minister in 27 languages. I have received various complaints seeking an inquiry into his links with the BJP as well as his links with the drug nexus in Bollywood. We will forward these complaints for further investigation.”
Several reports have suggested that Ssingh was close to Rajput. India Today had reported earlier this month the Enforcement Directorate had found transactions between the bank accounts of the two and he was likely to be questioned in the case.
The drug angle to the case appeared after the Narcotics Control Bureau registered a case against Rajput’s former girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.
(With PTI inputs)