New Delhi: BJP's National Spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman and senior leader Arun Jaitley respond to allegations of corporate fraud levelled against BJP President Gadkari after Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh called for a probe into the matter.
Below are the highlights:
Arun Jaitley- There has been unprecedented corruption in the last few years
- LPG, diesel price hike is affecting all sections of society
- Traders against proposal to bring FDI in retail
- Congress President in her speeches yesterday said that Centre sends money for states ; states send taxes to Centre so that is their right, not a favour
- She said we want Lokpal, Opposition did not agree; they wanted a weak LokpalThe whole country saw the Lokpal farce till midnight; then why blame it on the opposition?
- On corruption, she should have seen who was sharing the stage with her and then she would not have been able to mention that word
- This is not a diary(VBS files) - it is almost a statement of accounts
- The diary mentions government officers, Steel Ministry officials, officers in PSUs as recipients
- The diary was seized in Dec 2010, and 22 months later the central government has not acted
- It is not merely a revenue issue, it is a corruption issueThe allegations against Veerbhadra Sigh could be shameful for any political party. Someone who is a minister, Chief Minister must always be demonstrably more honest than others.
- The issue is not whether the minister puts his initials down as VS or VBS - what we need to investigate is what those entries mean. It is a money trail - from Mumbai to Shimla
- Unaccounted money finds itself in a ghost account and Veerbhadra and family are beneficiaries
- An LIC agent in Shimla Anand Chauhan opens an account on PNB - and deposits lakhs in it every few days
- Chauhan draws cheques on that account and pays LIC. The sum is 6 Cr rupees and the cash is converted to cheques and single premium policies are bought in the name of 4 people - those people become beneficiaries - Veerbhadra Singh, his wife, and two children
- All these transcations are between 2008 and 2010 - from Mumbai diaries to Shimla policies
- Veerbhadra Singh was a royal - he has real estate - he had an apple orchard
- He gave that on contract to one Bishambhar Dass - who pays an annuity of Rs 10.5 lakhs a year - that finds mention in the IT returns - 2009, 2010, 2011 7.5 lakhs, 15 lakhs and 25 lakhs has been declared as his agricultural income
- So when Anand Chauhan was quizzed- the question arose how to explain the unaccounted money
- So a retrospective agreement was drawn up - so Bishambhar evaporated-17/6 /08 Bishambhar Das agreement15/6/08 - a new agreement was drawn up where 2% is given to Anand Chauhan and 98% for Veerbhadra for the produce sold - naturally this was false as returns had been already filed
- The questions are obvious - you have filed two sets of returns, two agreements, ghost accounts are opened. There are so many evidences in the first instance
- CBI cannot investigate payments made to its own officers
- This is not the first time a demand for SIT has been made
- Nitinji has said any one can investigate his businesses - now that is upto the government
- CBI is investigating the coal scam - we will raise the issue in Parliament again
- Our demand that the allocation be cancelled stands
- Economic activity should have clarity and be legal - anyone not following the law should be investigated and punished
- I have on the basis of documents and reports presented them to you - IT depts in Shimla and Mumbai have these facts
- But I believe that it is not a tax case - this is a corruption case that should be investigated
- (ON TIMING) We did not have the papers - the revelations have been made 2 weeks ago by the media.
Nirmala Sitaraman- There is an effort by the Congress to show that the allegations against Veer Bhadra Singh as a matter of Tax avoidance - it is not that, it is an open and shut case of corruption
- It is an effort to cover up - BJP demands it being treated as corruption and be investigated in all seriousness
- I don't think ministers should be selective in picking in choosing - Party president has said that any competent authority can investigate
- The BJP president has himself responded to the allegations in one on one questioning in TV channels. Party endorses his opinion
- BJP is not on the backfoot in issues of corruption
- Congress has been running away from answering questions - nor have they been open about investigation
- You found cabinet ministers of the union cabinet saying there is no need to investigate (Vadra) matter
- There are very serious allegations against Veerbhdra Singh
- There is a clear case of corruption in high places - the money trail needs to be searched and investigated