A city-based construction company has filed an FIR against Congress president Sonia Gandhi alleging that her party has not cleared its payment for constructing Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Development Studies.
In a major blow to the state unit of the party, the FIR also names former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, former state home minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) chief VM Sudheeran as other accused.
Heather Constructions, the construction company, has said that the payment is due for over seven years now. In 2005, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had inaugurated the institute. But, the firm has filed the FIR now getting an inkling of a fissure inside the state unit of the party following its rout in the recent election.
The institute is presently headed by Chennithala who was the KPCC chief while the project was being taken. However, Sudheeran who is the present chief of the state party unit has reportedly washed his hands off the matter and said that he would not be able to issue money for an old and long-finished project.
So many years after the completion of the project, some Congress leaders are even questioning the rationale of setting up the institute, said an insider of the company.
According to party sources, the issue was brewing for quite some time and it was not settled despite Sonia Gandhi ordering the state unit to clear the issue.
However, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said there has been no default of payment. "Out of that Rs 20-crore project, only a small payment of rupees two crores is left. We have sorted out the issue. Within 24 hours, both the parties will sit and settle the issue," he said.
In a major blow to the state unit of the party, the FIR also names former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, former state home minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) chief VM Sudheeran as other accused.
Heather Constructions, the construction company, has said that the payment is due for over seven years now. In 2005, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had inaugurated the institute. But, the firm has filed the FIR now getting an inkling of a fissure inside the state unit of the party following its rout in the recent election.
The institute is presently headed by Chennithala who was the KPCC chief while the project was being taken. However, Sudheeran who is the present chief of the state party unit has reportedly washed his hands off the matter and said that he would not be able to issue money for an old and long-finished project.
So many years after the completion of the project, some Congress leaders are even questioning the rationale of setting up the institute, said an insider of the company.
According to party sources, the issue was brewing for quite some time and it was not settled despite Sonia Gandhi ordering the state unit to clear the issue.
However, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said there has been no default of payment. "Out of that Rs 20-crore project, only a small payment of rupees two crores is left. We have sorted out the issue. Within 24 hours, both the parties will sit and settle the issue," he said.