"SpiceJet was promoted by the UK-based Kansangra family, Sanjay Malhotra and I and began its services in May 2005," said Ajay Singh.
NEW DELHI: A former aide of Pramod Mahajan has repudiated reports that the late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader helped in funding SpiceJet or that his money was parked in the airline.
Ajay Singh, former officer on special duty (OSD) to Mahajan when he was minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and currently director of India's newest start-up private airline SpiceJet, sought to set the record straight in an interview with IANS following allegations that he had a bitter falling out with Mahajan.
Just back from a trip to London, Singh said: "That is not true, I just charted my own course of action. Once the general election was over in 2004, I realised there was no role for me. There was pressure on me to get back to business and I helped start up the airline."
"The airline is a public listed company and the investors are well known. As for me, my personal investment in the airline amounts to Rs.100 million," he said.
"SpiceJet was promoted by the UK-based Kansangra family, businessman Sanjay Malhotra and I and began its services in May 2005."
However, Singh, once part of Mahajan's close circle, did not inform the BJP leader of his future plans.
"It is a whole lot of rubbish that Pramod Mahajan's money is parked in the airline and I was his point man. You can check the account books, the shareholders are listed," Singh emphasised to IANS.
Singh asserted he had neither talked to nor met Mahajan in the last two years. "It just did not happen. But I went to Mumbai once I got to know that he was shot by his brother Pravin and also visited the hospital. I saw his family members.
"Though I have met one brother, Prakash, several times at Mahajan's Safdarjung Road residence, I have never met Pravin," he says.
In fact, Singh said, he made a clean break with all of Mahajan's associates after the BJP was ousted from power in the last elections.
"I may have received one call from Bibek Moitra (Mahajan's secretary who died last week) in the last two years, a chance encounter with additional private secretary Harish Sharma in a restaurant and perhaps one call from businessman Sudhanshu Mittal."
Elaborating on rumours again that he dashed off to London once he heard about the death of Bibek Moitra after a drinks-and-drug bout, Singh said he was there much before the incident.
"I was in London for a business meeting almost 36 hours before the incident. I got to know of the incident when a friend messaged on my mobile phone."
Singh said he had 'nothing to hide' and was more than willing to cooperate in any police investigation if the occasion arose.
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