New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday again attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and Rafale fighter jet deal, saying the country wants to hear about these issues in his 'Mann Ki Baat'.
"Modiji, last month you ignored my suggestions for your 'Mann Ki Baat' monologue. Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know every Indian wants to hear you speak about Nirav Modi's Rs 22,000 crore loot and scoot and the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale scam.
"I look forward to your sermon," Gandhi said in a tweet attaching a picture of Modi's tweet urging people to share ideas for his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat'.
On Tuesday too, Gandhi had attacked the Prime Minister during his election rally in Meghalaya. "I would like to request this Modi (the Prime Minister), on behalf of all of us, to bring back the other Modi (Nirav), when he goes on another of his many foreign trips.
"We will all be very grateful as a nation to get our hard-earned money back," the Congress chief said.
"A few years ago, Modi sold dreams to the people of India. Dreams of 'achche din', Rs 15 lakh in everyone's bank account, two crore jobs, and so on," the Congress leader said.
Nirav Modi fled the country just before the scam -- in which he allegedly cheated the bank of over Rs 11,300 crore -- came to light. The ruling BJP and the Congress have been trading charges over who detected and acted against the fraud.
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New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI): The BJP lashed out at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday citing an RTI reply that revealed Rs 3.69 crore was spent annually between 2015 and 2022 for the regular maintenance of the former chief minister's bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, quoting the RTI reply, said a total of Rs 29.56 crore was spent between March 31, 2015, and December 27, 2022, on general repairs, sewage, electricity and structural works of the bungalow that was occupied by Kejriwal when he was the chief minister.
While the BJP leader asked Kejriwal to "come forward and explain what exactly was lacking in his bungalow that required Rs 31 lakh to be spent every month on its maintenance", the AAP sought to know what the ruling party would achieve by abusing Kejriwal.
The opposition party pointed out that the bungalow was a government accommodation, not Kejriwal's private property.
Sachdeva said details obtained through a Right To Information (RTI) query have shown that Rs 3,69,54,384 was spent annually on regular maintenance of the bungalow.
Kejriwal, who came to power with promises of leading a government for the common man, was exposed by his "luxurious lifestyle" at the "Sheesh Mahal" constructed "secretively at a cost of Rs 52 crore", Sachdeva claimed.
The BJP has been targeting the AAP and Kejriwal over the reconstruction works at the bungalow, describing it as a "Sheesh Mahal" for its "expensive" interiors and household goods.
"We are presenting more evidence of Kejriwal's five-star lifestyle and corruption, and we demand an immediate response from him," Sachdeva said at a press conference here.
The Delhi BJP chief said a person from Maharashtra had filed the RTI query, seeking details of the maintenance expenses on the bungalow and added that the figures revealed Kejriwal's "extravagant lifestyle" and "corruption" in government works.
"In Delhi, where one can build a decent 250-300 square yard house spending Rs 3 to 4 crore, the cost of maintenance of Kejriwal's bungalow at Rs 3.69 crore annually is astonishing," he said.
The BJP leader said that Kejriwal has been avoiding answering the questions for a long time. The people of Delhi expect him to come forward and clarify what exactly was so deficient in his bungalow that Rs 31 lakh per month was needed for its maintenance, he added.
AAP hit back, saying the BJP "betrayed" Delhi and did not provide Rs 2,500 for women and free cylinders on Holi which proved that their poll promises were just gimmick.
While Delhi is suffering due to power cuts and arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, the BJP president is busy hurling abuses at Kejriwal, the opposition party alleged.