Probe Vadra but don't divert attention from Jay Shah: Congress dares BJP

After the BJP asked the Congress to explain alleged links of party President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra with arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, the Congress on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi can get "any investigation" done in the matter.

The Congress also said the BJP's allegations against Robert Vadra were a "politically motivated" effort by the ruling party to divert public attention from the serious allegations against its party President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

"They are trying to throttle media freedom. They are actually scared and that's why they are not allowing any investigation to happen," Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha told IANS.

"Modiji has been in power for 41 months. They (BJP) have governments in Haryana and Rajasthan, and can conduct any investigation into allegations against Vadra to come to a conclusion through a free and fair process of law of any wrongdoing," said Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala at a news conference here.

"What prevents them from initiating an inquiry against Vadra if they have proof of any wrongdoing," Surjewala questioned.

Robert Vadra put out a philosophical message on Facebook, saying: "I am capable, I am strong. If I believe in myself, I can turn my dreams into a plan, and my plan into my reality."

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned in Delhi the "silence" of the Congress leadership on the Vadra issue.

She was referring to media reports about reported links between Vadra and arms dealer Bhandari, who has fled to the UK.

TimesNow news channel had claimed to have accessed emails to establish that Vadra and Bhandari were in touch with each other.

TimesNow and Republic TV news channels were barred from covering Surjewala's news conference here on Tuesday.

"Journalism should mirror the truth and not become mirror of the BJP," Surjewala commented.

The Congress Spokesman said the party (Congress) demands Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah's resignation in view of the alleged discrepancies in Shah's son Jay Shah's business, Temple Enterprise Private Limited.

"Until 2013-14, total borrowings of his company was mere Rs 1.3 crore. In what circumstances did the borrowings increase 400 times to Rs 53.5 crore within a year of the formation of the BJP-led government?" Surjewala asked.

The Congress said it will be taking this issue up and take it to the streets of the country. We are already doing a nationwide campaign to expose the corruption of Amit Shah's son.

On the other hand, the BJP had rubbished the allegations and said Shah's business was "perfectly legitimate and legal".