Saturday, October 22 2005 15:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi today (Oct 22, 2005) said he was seeking legal opinion to file defamation case against Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Sanjay Nirupam, who had alleged that Joshi used black money, earned during his political postings, to purchase the Kohinoor Mill in the city.

Nirupam at a press conference, yesterday alleged that Joshi used black money earned during his political postings from Mayor to Speaker to purchase the Kohinoor Mill.

He had further alleged that some close associates of Joshi had gone to Madagascar before the Kohinoor Mill deal and the money had come from there.

"Neither me nor my company, also called Kohinoor, had any links with Madagascar Island and it is wrong to say that I invested the black money in Kohinoor mill," Joshi said in a statement while reacting to the allegations.

The Kohinoor Mill was purchased by Unmesh Joshi, son of Manohar Joshi, and Raj Thackeray, nephew of Sena Chief Bal Thackeray for Rs 421 crore in July this year.

Nirupam has also demanded a CBI inquiry into the deal.

Joshi said Kohinoor Mill was purchased by Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure Company Ltd and its shareholders are Kohinoor Projects Pvt Ltd and Consolidated Transportation Networks Ltd.

The amount for this transaction has been raised from nationalised banks and private investors, he said.

The Sena leader also denied any connection with Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure company and clarified that Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela in the Rajya Sabha had said that the mill transaction was transparent and no black money was involved in it.

Meanwhile, Nirupam said that the recent Income Tax Department raid on Infrastructure Lease and Financial Services was linked to the Kohinoor Mill deal and it was not a mere survey as claimed by the company.