DEHRADUN: In yet another controversy to hit the Harish Rawat government before assembly poll results are out on March 11, an RTI reply sought by an activist who is also a BJP member has said that Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli was paid Rs 47.19 lakh in June 2015 from funds earmarked for victims of the deadly 2013 Kedarnath floods for appearing in a 60-second tourism video. Kohli had at that time been recruited as the brand ambassador for the state of Uttarakhand This came even as Bunty Sajdeh, Virat’s agent and founder & CEO, Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment, said, “There has been no monetary transaction whatsoever.”Reacting to the charges, Surendra Kumar, media advisor to the CM, said, “Tourism forms the backbone of the state’s economy, therefore what is wrong if a prominent face is chosen to promote the state’s destinations? Everything has been done in a legal way. These allegations are baseless. People know that redevelopment of Kedarnath has always been the priority of our government. BJP is on the verge of losing elections, so it is coming up with such diversionary tactics out of frustration.”Told that Virat’s representative has denied any such transaction between the Uttarakhand government and the cricketer took place, Kumar added, “I will ask the relevant departments to check details of the payment made to Kohli. “It is BJP that is alleging that Virat Kohli was paid the money through an RTI that they have obtained. If the cricketer’s representative is claiming that they haven’t received the amount, we will get it checked.”The Uttarakhand unit of the BJP, armed with the RTI reply, a copy of which is with TOI, mounted a sustained attack on the Congress through most of Friday. Ajendra Ajay, who had filed the RTI query in this regard, said Kohli was paid the amount ostensibly for appearing in the minute-long promotional video for Uttarakhand Tourism. “The RTI reply shows that the amount was paid by the district disaster management authority of Rudraprayag after a clearance given by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Management Authority through an email. Why were the state disaster bodies used to pay Kohli? Also, what is the requirement of a brand ambassador for the state? What role do they play in the long run? This is nothing but sheer waste of money,” Ajay said.According to the RTI reply, the amount was released to Kohli through singer Kailash Kher’s firm Kailasha Entertainment Private Limited in June 2015. In October last year, BJP had targeted the state government for paying Rs 3.66 crore to the singer for making a tele-serial on Kedarnath, claiming that the amount was released from the disaster relief funds of Rudrapyarag district. It had also raised objections to the launch of a serial on Kedarnath at a time when the temple was about to close for winter and a lot of redevelopment work was left.Reiterating the charges that the state government was “wasting money meant for relief,” Ajay said, “Around 12 suspension bridges had been washed away in the Kedar valley during the disaster. Just two of these bridges have been constructed, forcing locals to use trolleys to commute. Instead of focusing on these projects, the state government is indulging in wasteful expenditure.”