Lodha hits out at Cong for attacking his family-run business

Newly-appointed Mumbai BJP president Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Sunday slammed the Congress' appeal to people "cheated" by his realty firm to come forward with their complaints, saying it was a desperate move by the opposition party to hide its own failures.

Maharashtra Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant on Saturday claimed several home buyers had complaints against the Lodha realty firm.

He asked people to send their grievances on e-mail or on the Congress' postal address, saying his party would follow it up.

However, Lodha, the well-known builder who was last week appointed chief of the BJP's city unit, said theCongress is making such statements as it is staring at a "defeat" in the state Assembly polls, due in September-October.

"As a result, it is touching a new low in desperation. The Congress is trying to harm my family's business," a statement issued by his office quoted him saying.

He said the Congress is scared of losing its vote bank after he announced to delete the names of Bangladeshis from the voters' list in Mumbai.

Lodha said he is neither a shareholder in Lodha Builders nor its director.

"The Congress is trying to hide its own failures by making an unsuccessful attempt to lodge complaint against the professional organisation, Lodha Builders, which is being run by the Lodha family," he said.

Last week, after assuming charge as the Mumbai BJP chief, Lodha took a vow to make the metropolis "Congress-mukt" (free of Congress).

He also announced a campaign to remove names of Bangladeshi nationals from the voters' list of Mumbai.