Cong appeals citizens 'cheated' by Lodha to approach party

The Congress Saturday appealed to flat owners "cheated" by BJP MLA and builder Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who was recently appointed as the Mumbai unit chief, to approach the party for resolution.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said those who are "cheated" by the developer can submit their complaints to an email id or via post at his party's office in Dadar.

Lodha could not be reached for comments.

"Several complaints of cheating by Lodha have cropped up...People have made complaints to MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) too about cheating. But since he is a ruling party MLA and now Mumbai BJP chief, it seems he has the backing of the government," Sawant was quoted as saying in a statement while referring to a project by Lodha.

"Those flat owners who feel cheated by the developer should send us complaints on the email id bjplodhacheating@gmail.com or by post. We will pursue the matter to ensure justice for them," Sawant added.

Hitting back at Sawant, Mumbai BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty asked him to first inquire into allegations of scams against Congress leaders.

"He should introspect and inquire into charges of scam against Congress leaders including former chief minister Ashok Chavan (who is an accused in Adarsh scam)," Shetty said, adding that Chavan had to quit as chief minister for "gobbling up" the land earmarked for war veterans in south Mumbai (on which Adarsh highrise stands).

"The Congress party from state to Centre is filled with accusations of various scams and therefore Sawant has no moral ground to ask such things," he said.

Lodha, who represents Malabar Hill constituency in south Mumbai, is the founder of Lodha Group which is developing a string of projects, including a luxury highrise in Central Mumbai.