‘Why is Navneet Sehgal so important — like a piston in the ‘double engine’, asks Congress spokesman Pawan Khera
NEW DELHI — The Congress on Friday questioned why the BJP-led government at the Centre continues to shield Navneet Sehgal, a Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer, despite what it described as a scathing confidential report against him submitted by the Income Tax Department to the Uttar Pradesh government and the Lokayukta.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson and Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department, Pawan Khera, cited an investigative report by news portal Newslaundry. Referring to a 254-page confidential report prepared by the Directorate of Income Tax, Khera said Sehgal had been indicted, yet no action had followed. He also pointed to media reports suggesting that Sehgal was now being inducted into the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“He is like a piston in the so-called ‘double-engine’ government—both in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre,” Khera remarked.
According to Khera, the Newslaundry investigation states that the Income Tax probe identified Sehgal as the largest alleged beneficiary of a kickback network that siphoned off nearly ₹112 crore of public funds from Uttar Pradesh government schemes between 2019–20 and 2021–22.
During the period under investigation, Sehgal served as Principal Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary overseeing the MSME and Khadi departments. He also held key positions as Chairman of the Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (IED) and UP Industrial Consultants Limited (UPICON).
Citing the report, Khera said approximately ₹65 crore was allegedly siphoned off from IED and about ₹46 crore from UPICON. The funds were reportedly redistributed among officials and intermediaries, with the Income Tax Department estimating that Sehgal allegedly received ₹24–26 crore in kickbacks over three years through training and toolkit-related contracts.
Khera further stated that the report flagged property purchases worth ₹17.59 crore made by Sehgal’s family between 2018 and 2020. These properties were allegedly bought from SDP Infracon Pvt Ltd, a firm suspected by tax officials to be a shell company. During the same period, UPICON—then chaired by Sehgal—was reportedly paying rent to this company, raising concerns of a potential conflict of interest.
The report also allegedly pointed to a ₹21 crore investment in a private company in which Sehgal’s son was a director at the time. According to the findings cited by Khera, the funds originated from a loss-making firm linked to another company under CBI investigation for bank fraud.
Despite what he described as serious and detailed allegations, Khera said there was no publicly known criminal prosecution or departmental action following the Income Tax Department’s sharing of its findings with the state government.
The senior Congress leader posed a series of questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking who was accountable for such alleged rackets operating at the highest levels of government. “If officials linked to betting app scams can function at the heart of the PMO, what does this say about Prime Minister Modi?” Khera asked, also questioning whether the prime minister had become “Maun Modi”.
Khera further sought clarity on the status of Hiren Joshi, asking whether he had been formally removed, suspended, or placed under investigation, or whether the prime minister was personally shielding him from scrutiny.
The Congress spokesperson also questioned reports suggesting that Sehgal was being inducted into the PMO to replace Hiren Joshi, despite having been named in an investigation for alleged large-scale corruption.
“Why is Prime Minister Modi playing musical chairs—replacing one allegedly corrupt official with another—instead of ensuring accountability?” Khera asked. He also questioned why Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath failed to take action even after the Income Tax Department officially shared its findings with the state government.
