Srivastava brothers welcome SC order for IT inquiry

Vadodara, Mar 8: Firebrand Gujarat BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava and his cousin and Congress corporator Chandrakant Srivastava, who are at the centre of a controversy for their alleged role in Zaheera Sheikh's U-turn in the Vadodara trial court, today said they were prepared to face any inquiry by CBI or the Income tax department to prove their innocence.

Reacting to Zaheera's conviction by Supreme Court for perjury and order for an Income tax department inquiry into Tehelka's sting operation naming the Srivastava brothers, Madhu said, ''Since I have not committed any illegality, I am not at all worried because of the Apex court verdict. Let there be an Income Tax or CBI inquiry against me.'' Talking to this correspondent, the BJP legislator reiterated that neither he knew or ever met Zaheera or paid any bribe to her before the Vadodara court acquitted all 21 accused in the case in June, 2003. He also challenged the controversial Tehelka video tape in which he had allegedly shown him admitting that Rs 18 lakh was paid to Zaheera to turn hostile, saying that the tape was tampered with.

After the Supreme court-appointed Gupta committee branded Zaheera as a ''self-condemned liar'' and drew adverse inference against the Srivastava brothers, Madhu had moved a petition in the Apex court praying for a CBI probe into the reasons behind Zaheera's flip-flops.

In January last year, the MLA heaved a sigh of relief when a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to him in the video tape issue by observing that no evidence was found by the committee to show that Zaheera was bribed by Srivastava to turn hostile.

Madhu, who had termed the Gupta committee report as ''one-sided'' said, ''This is a political conspiracy hatched by the Opposition Congress to tarnish his image and defame the Gujarat government.'' He however refused to make any comment on the conviction of Best bakery incident's prime witness Zaheera Sheikh for perjury.

Chandrakant Srivastava alias Bhatthubhai said the alleged sting operation was totally bogus as he had never tried to put pressure or bribe Zaheera and her family members, whom he helped to escape the mob attack during the communal riots in the city.

UNI