The Congress on Monday attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for “attempting to influence the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe” into Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje son’s nexus with former IPL czar Lalit Modi. Despite the Opposition attack, the Centre on Monday dispatched Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to Jaipur in a show of solidarity, who in turn backed her “innocence” claiming that the Centre was firmly behind her.
Jaitley, on a nine-day visit to the US, had told <g data-gr-id="34">mediapersons</g> on Sunday that the former IPL chief’s Rs 11 crore (approx) transaction with Raje’s son Dushyant Singh was commercial. Congress leaders suspect that Jaitley’s commercial remark might constrain the ED from acting “impartially” against Dushyant. The principal Opposition has raised serious doubts on the outcome of the probe.
For past one <g data-gr-id="36">week</g> the BJP is facing severe criticism from the opposition, which is demanding <g data-gr-id="35">immediate</g> resignation of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Raje for helping Modi – who is wanted by the ED. However, going by the party’s stand, it seems that the government is not going to buckle under pressure and instead has decided to face the matter head on.
“The allegations against Vasundhara ji and Sushma Ji are baseless. Vasundhara ji legally, logically, ethically is completely correct. There is no fault of her anywhere,” Gadkari said in Jaipur. This is for the first time when a union minister officially announced that the Central government is behind its two senior leaders. Taken aback at Gadkari’s statement, Congress accused Jaitley of influencing the ED and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the ministers involved in the case for an unbiased investigation.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, while addressing a press conference, said “Every day new scandals are being exposed and yet the PM is silent on the matter.
So isn’t the Prime Minister party to all of this? We want to ask the PM if External Affairs Minister and Rajasthan Chief Minister are not guilty under various laws and sections.
Why is the Finance Minister giving a clean chit to Lalit Modi and Vasundhara Raje when the ED is investigating the matter?”
Lashing out at Jaitley for shielding two senior ministers, Azad said, “The Finance Minister is influencing the ED in this matter. The way more names are coming up in the scandal, more people will have to resign for an unbiased investigation.”
Questioning his deafening silence on the matter, Azad said, “Prime Minister should at least share his “Man Ki Baat” with the nation on this issue. New scams are coming to light on a daily basis. So much so that one BJP MP (Kirti Azad) went on to say that if the Modi issue was not investigated, he would join the opposition. It is high time the Prime Minister should wake from his slumber.”