Rahul Gandhi, family partially owned Kingfisher Airlines through proxy: BJP
New Delhi, Sep 13 : The BJP on Thursday alleged that the UPA government gave "sweet deals" to fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, while claiming that Congress President Rahul Gandhi's family "partially owned the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines through proxy".
"There are documents that show how the RBI and UPA under Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh had given sweet deals to Kingfisher Airlines," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra told the media.
"And it appears through these chain of documents that Kingfisher Airlines was owned not by Mallya but by the Gandhi family through proxy," he alleged showing the letters written by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to the State Bank of India (SBI) requesting for the restructuring of the loans of Kingfisher Airline
The accuracy of the documents could not be ascertained. There was no immediate response from Rahul Gandhi's office.
The BJP leader's remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while referring to the statement of Mallya alleging that he met the BJP leader before leaving the country.
Patra also alleged that the party has enough evidence which shows that Rahul Gandhi was "using black money" and the Gandhi family was helping Mallya with sweet deals.
He said that Rahul Gandhi travelled free in Kingfisher Airlines, which was once owned by Mallya.
"Rahul Gandhi took one crore loan from a shell company, we have the confession of the company director Umashankar Gupta," Patra said. The BJP leader also demanded that the Congress President "clear the air over his family's relations" with Mallya.
Mallya, who left India on March 2, 2016, and is facing charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore and fighting an extradition case, had told reporters in London that he met the finance minister before leaving India and offered to settle with the banks.
However, Jaitley rejected Mallya's claim as factually false.
"My attention has been drawn to a statement made to the media by Vijay Mallya on having met me with an offer of settlement. The statement is factually false in as much as it does not reflect truth," Jaitley had said in a Facebook post.
Earlier in the day, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that all the allegations against Jaitley were "false".
"All these allegations are false. I want to question one thing, all these remarks are being made after Rahul Gandhi's London visit," Prasad said.
"Is there anything common between them (Mallya and Rahul Gandhi)?" the Law Minister asked. He also said that since 1947 till 2008 the banks in the country gave loans to the tune of Rs 18 lakh crore.
"And from 2008 to 2014 it increased to 52 lakh crore. So when Mallya got the maximum loan under which government you all know," Prasad added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kharge says LPG crisis due to govt's lack of planning, BJP accuses Cong of creating anarchy
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday held the government responsible for the current LPG crisis by not taking preemptive measures, evoking a sharp counter from Union Minister J P Nadda, who accused the Congress of trying to create anarchy in the country and indulging in politics instead.
Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in the House, Kharge accused the government of not doing advance planning and making alternative arrangements for LPG imports as the government "knew" that the West Asia crisis could impact critical maritime routes and energy supplies.
Rebutting him strongly, Nadda, who is also Leader of the House, accused opposition parties, especially Congress, of not standing with the people but of instigating them.
"The LPG crisis has caused widespread panic across the entire nation. Its impact is severely affecting the poor and vulnerable sections, the middle class, ordinary households, restaurants, hostels, and commercial users," Kharge said.
India imports nearly 60 per cent of its total LPG requirements. Of this, 90 per cent of imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. From this perspective, Kharge said the current situation has become a matter of serious concern for both domestic availability and price stability.
He said the effects of the LPG crisis are being felt in nearly every part of the country, and people in households are distressed.
Kharge sought to highlight that small roadside eateries, restaurants, hostels — all are impacted. From community kitchens to Ram Rasoi, everything has shut down. Not just homes — MSMEs and other commercial users are facing severe difficulties in obtaining LPG cylinders.
"It is concerning that many establishments have limited or completely halted their operations. Some are purchasing at exorbitant rates, over Rs 5,000 per cylinder," the senior Congress leader claimed.
Kharge further said that the Union Petroleum Minister had claimed in the Lok Sabha that there is no shortage of LPG and called for caution against rumours.
"But the ground reality proves the government's claims wrong," he added.
He said that when the government was issuing advisories to Indian citizens in Iran that the situation could worsen, it should have clearly stated that this could also impact critical maritime routes and energy supplies, and should have taken steps in advance.
"Government very well knew that a crisis was impending at the Strait of Hormuz. The situation would not have been that bad had advance planning and alternative arrangements for LPG imports done in advance," Kharge said.
He said the waiting period for cylinder bookings in the country has also been extended, now 25 days in cities and 45 days in villages/remote areas.
This has triggered panic booking and increased the likelihood of hoarding, he said.
The Congress leader questioned why the government did not take stringent measures if it knew that the LPG crisis in the country would escalate.
"Why didn't it take the people and opposition in confidence? This crisis exposes the government's dismal management and flawed foreign policy," he said, and demanded a discussion on the issue.
While Kharge was making his remarks, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan repeatedly asked him to conclude as only three minutes are allowed to a speaker during the Zero Hour. However, the Chair allowed him extra time.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had given a detailed response on the issue in the Lok Sabha, but Congress members did not hear him out.
The Minister said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was given the floor in the Lower House to speak on the issue, but he spoke on other things instead.
Nadda lamented that the Opposition, especially the Congress, is not hesitating to indulge in politics even during times of crisis.
He said the current West Asia conflict is not due to India and has no contribution.
The senior BJP leader said a Congress leader has also been caught hoarding LPG cylinders.
"They are resorting to hoarding of cylinders. They are instigating people. They are inciting the peaceful people of the country, and this is very unfortunate that even in such a situation, they are indulging in politics.
"Instead of standing with the country, they are trying to create anarchy...This is condemnable," Nadda added.
