PNB scam: Nirmala Sitharaman attacks Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi
Adding to the ongoing political blame game between the BJP and the Congress over the Rs 11,300 crore banking fraud involving celebrity designer Nirav Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today launched an attack on Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.
Ms Sitharaman alleged that the Nirav Modi-run Firestar Diamond International had taken on lease a property of a company in which Mr Singhvi's wife is a director.
"The property of Adwait Holdings Private Limited whose directors are wife and son of Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is rented to Nirav Modi's jewellery company in Mumbai. Both companies have also done loan transactions. Despite the clear link with them, Congress party has the audacity to point fingers at BJP?" alleged Ms Sitharaman.
Nirmala Sitharaman's allegations defamatory, said Abhishek Singhvi
Mr Singhvi quickly rebutted the allegations, calling them "ludicrous". He denied that his family had any links with billionaire designer Nirav Modi and Gitanjali group owner Mehul Choksi who are accused in the Punjab National Bank fraud case.
"Nirav Modi's company was a tenant of a Kamla Mills property owned by Adwait Holdings in which my wife and sons are directors. Adwait holdings owns a commercial property at Parel, as it does elsewhere, which was rented by Firestone many years ago. This tenancy ended in December 2017," said Mr Singhvi.
Calling the allegations "sensationalism" and "falsehood", Mr Singhvi also threatened to take legal action. "Nirmala Sitharaman and her colleagues are liable to civil and criminal defamation for making ill-considered and patently false allegations. I reserve my rights to take all such appropriate legal action against the latter and all parts of the media which carry such false and maliciously defamatory allegations," said Mr Singhvi.