New Delhi:
There can't be different parameters to probe allegations against politicians of different parties, minister of state for telecom Sachin Pilot has said.
He said this in the context of BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior Congress leader and former union minister Virbhadra Singh, both of who are facing accusations of graft and illicit business deals.
"If there are one set of rules for one person of a political party, then those rules must apply to everyone," Mr Pilot said in Srinagar. "But the fact of the matter is that the way questions are coming up about the BJP president, I doubt if he will be able to answer them convincingly."
The government has started what it calls a "discreet inquiry" into the funding and shareholding of the Purti group of which Mr Gadkari was Director till 14 months ago. An NDTV expose showed that most of the shareholders are companies which don't exist, or are individuals employed by Mr Gadkari, like his former part-time driver and an accountant. The source of funds into the Purti group is also unclear. (Read: Astrologer, driver are directors of investor firms for Nitin Gadkari's company)
Though the BJP has now backed its president, saying he is open for any inquiry, there is growing speculation that Mr Gadkari is under pressure to not take the second term as BJP president, which was earlier seen as blessed by the RSS. (Read: Nitin Gadkari is open to inquiry, says BJP)
Virbhadra Singh, on the other hand is accused by the BJP of fudging income tax returns to hide alleged pay-offs when he was steel minister. A list of what appear to be bribes was recovered from steel manufacturer Ispat Industries Limited that had names of several officials across many government departments, including the steel ministry. One of them had the initials VBS, that the BJP claims is Virbhadra Singh. It has asked for an independent special investigation team to probe this, saying that it doesn't trust the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Mr Singh has been handicapped by these allegations as he leads his party into the Himachal Pradesh elections that are due next month.
He said this in the context of BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior Congress leader and former union minister Virbhadra Singh, both of who are facing accusations of graft and illicit business deals.
"If there are one set of rules for one person of a political party, then those rules must apply to everyone," Mr Pilot said in Srinagar. "But the fact of the matter is that the way questions are coming up about the BJP president, I doubt if he will be able to answer them convincingly."
The government has started what it calls a "discreet inquiry" into the funding and shareholding of the Purti group of which Mr Gadkari was Director till 14 months ago. An NDTV expose showed that most of the shareholders are companies which don't exist, or are individuals employed by Mr Gadkari, like his former part-time driver and an accountant. The source of funds into the Purti group is also unclear. (Read: Astrologer, driver are directors of investor firms for Nitin Gadkari's company)
Though the BJP has now backed its president, saying he is open for any inquiry, there is growing speculation that Mr Gadkari is under pressure to not take the second term as BJP president, which was earlier seen as blessed by the RSS. (Read: Nitin Gadkari is open to inquiry, says BJP)
Virbhadra Singh, on the other hand is accused by the BJP of fudging income tax returns to hide alleged pay-offs when he was steel minister. A list of what appear to be bribes was recovered from steel manufacturer Ispat Industries Limited that had names of several officials across many government departments, including the steel ministry. One of them had the initials VBS, that the BJP claims is Virbhadra Singh. It has asked for an independent special investigation team to probe this, saying that it doesn't trust the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Mr Singh has been handicapped by these allegations as he leads his party into the Himachal Pradesh elections that are due next month.
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