New Delhi, Oct 20 (India Today) : In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office (PMO), American whistleblower C Edmonds Allen has claimed that BJP MP Varun Gandhi has been honey-trapped and compromised by arms dealer Abhishek Verma.
The Economic Times has reported that C Edmonds Allen, who is a known whistleblower and has exposed a number of controversial arms deals, has written to the PMO that Gandhi is being blackmailed by Verma.
Gandhi, 36, used to be a member of the high-profile Defence Consultative Committee. The report quotes senior BJP leaders clarifying that classified information on defence are not shared with members of the parliamentary committee.
VARUN GANDHI DENIES CHARGES
Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Gandhi denied having any interaction with Verma. "I know Abhishek Verma. His parents were Rajya Sabha MPs from the Congress. I even attended his wedding when I was young. But I have had no interaction with Abhishek Verma ever since I came into public life," he said.
The BJP MP said Allens does not have a "shred of evidence" to back his charges. "I have been a member of the Defence Committee of Parliament, but members of the committee do not have access to any sensitive information. I did not introduce Abhishek to any arms dealers and strongly deny the charge being levelled against me," he said in his statement.
CD WITH PHOTOS
The report says the US national, in his letter to the PMO on September 16, has even given a Compact Disc containing dozens of photographs to back his claim. Copies of the letter have also been sent to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Allen says the letters have been sent to the top government functionaries to “help them to identify if any other members of the defence consultative committee or their staff are compromised by the likes of Abhishek Verma.
The US-based whistleblower is a former agent of Verma.