City businessman Dr Sudhir Ruparelia has trashed allegations that he declined to support Sanjay Tanna in favour of his competitor Capt. Mike Mukula for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Vice Chairperson Eastern region.
The allegation came a day after Tana mercilessly losing to the incumbent Mukula in the NRM CEC elections.
Dr. Sudhir, who is the chairperson Ruparelia Group of Companies, has since come out to distance himself from partisan politics, saying that he is just a businessman and both are his potential clients, including their supporters.
Dr. Sudhir’s remarks came after fake news circulated on some websites and social media platforms indicating that he allegedly defied the Indian Community both in Uganda and abroad by refusing to give financial assistance to Sanjay Tanna, so that he could oust Captain Mike George Mukula from the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) as the National Vice chairperson Eastern Uganda.
The rumours started circulating after some elements within the Indian Community in Uganda intimated that it was agreed early this year that the Indian Community would actively participate in the coming 2021 general elections so as to promote their interests at the national level and the only person they chose to represent them was Tanna.
Sources reveal that it was also agreed that the Indian Community members should contribute financially and morally to those who come out to stand for political offices, in this case Tanna.
We have since established that when Tanna declared his interest to contest for the position of NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern region, the Indian Community leadership sent a number of delegates to talk to several Ugandan-Asians who are well off such that they could financially support Tanna, although when they approached Sudhir, he clearly sent them feedback indicating that he was ready to work with anyone who would sail through as the overall winner amongst all the competitors.
He reasoned that being a businessman, his is a neutral position that mandates him to deal and work with whichever politician is elected into any elective office.
Although some elements within the Indian Community in Uganda alleged that Dr Sudhir was approached and he promised to support, he has since disnatnced himself from such allegations, arguing that those who consulted him only inquired about his position on either supporting the National Resistance Movement or not, to whom he made it clearly that he is an NRM diehard.
Sources within the Ruparelia Group of Companies have since intimated to this website that although Sudhir didn’t contribute to Tanna’s cause, other Indian community members contributed millions of shillings to bankroll his political, which is a great milestone for him.
We have since learnt that the contention over if Sudhir supported Tanna or not arose after Mukula questioned the source of money that Tanna injected in the CEC campaigns, suspecting that the money could have been injected by Sudhir. He even reached the extent of tasking the top NRM leadership to investigate the source of the money, although they’re to announce their progress to that effect.
However, when they were concluding their campaigns on Thursday Mukula, who won the election promised to keep promoting NRM’s interests in the region like he has been doing.
Mukula said that it was because of his efforts that the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and other opposition parties were kicked out of Teso region and entire Eastern region at large.
He also boasted that it was because of his sacrifices and coordination with government that the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels were flushed out of Eastern Uganda.
However, sources close to Sudhir reveal that he has nothing to do with either Tanna or Mukula’s political ambitions and achievements, since his main concentration is business, regardless of who hold which political position.