The Chhattisgarh unit president of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Devendra Yadav, has allegedly been caught on tape in a sting operation demanding money from a businessman to organise an event for Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

In return, the man identified as Yadav promises to get the work of the businessman, identified as Nirula, done and also fix top Congress leaders, many of whom he calls "farzi aur chandamama type log" (frauds of no significance).

The sting operation was conducted by the portal 'Blast News'. The video CD, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, also shows Yadav and an aide beating up the portal's reporter Nayeem Siddiqui and collecting money from his home.

While Yadav has refuted the charge saying "the audio and video tapes are morphed and a conspiracy of my political opponents", Blast News claims the sting aimed to expose Yadav. Siddiqui also filed a police complaint against Yadav late on Tuesday.

In the video, Yadav is heard mentioning the factions in the state Congress and the money involved in party activities. The state congress reacted cautiously to the development. "While the voice seems to be of Yadav, there should be a proper inquiry and forensic tests before fixing any responsibility. There are so many sting operations these days. One cannot comment on their veracity. The tapes need to be verified," said state Congress president Nand Kumar Patel.

Giving details about the sting, Siddiqui said someone posed as Nirula to trap Yadav on behalf of the portal. During the conversation between Yadav and Nirula, the latter comes across as a Delhi-based businessman with "work" in Chhattisgarh for which top Congressmen are always seeking funds.

Yadav, according to the CDs, made several calls to Nirula days before Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to visit Raipur on May 18. In his first call, Yadav asked for Rs 4-5 lakh for events during the visit. When Nirula says "it is a huge amount", he negotiated and eventually settled for Rs 1 lakh. Yadav then demands funds for NSUI elections and other party activities, promising to fix party leaders.

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