Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Brajesh Pandey, a senior leader of Bihar Congress who resigned as the vice-president of the party’s state unit on Tuesday after being booked in a sex racket case, on Wednesday termed the charges against him as the result of a political conspiracy.

“I have been serving the people as a member of Congress for the past 30 years. I was named in the FIR without police ever letting me know what offence I had committed. These baseless charges against me are a political conspiracy,” said Pandey to a news channel.

According to police, his name was included in the FIR after a probe into sensational allegations levelled by the minor daughter of a Dalit Congress leader against an automobile showroom owner found his involvement. The girl had lodged an FIR in December 2016 accusing Nikhil Priyadarshi, the automobile showroom owner and son of a retired Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, of sexually harassing her. Appearing before the media for the first time on Tuesday, she had also named Pandey of “inappropriately touching” her at Priyadarshi’s residence at his behest.

“This girl is of the age of my daughter and calls me uncle. I have met her only a few times and always at public places. I demand that both she and I be put to lie-detector test,” said Pandey, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 Assembly polls in Govindganj constituency in East Champaran district.

“These charges are masterminded by BJP as part of a political conspiracy. My brother Ravish Kumar is a well-known and honest journalist, and we are a joint family. They (BJP) are doing it to harm us, but I will soon expose all their tricks,” said Pandey.

Nikhil Priyadarshi, who owned an automobile showroom on the outskirts of Patna that is said to be the largest showroom of SUVs and cars in Asia, has been absconding along with his father, who is also named in the FIR.

