Rahul Gandhi met Nirav Modi at Delhi hotel in 2013, claims Poonawalla
New Delhi, Sep 14 : As Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation over "free passage" given to the fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, activist Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday claimed "Gandhi met PNB fraud accused Nirav Modi at a hotel here in September 2013."
Poonawalla also challenged Gandhi to deny that he met Nirav Modi in 2013.
In a series of tweets, Poonawala said: "If P.L. Punia is proof of Arun Jaitley meeting Vijay Mallya (and accosting = meeting) I can swear on Quran and undertake lie detector @RahulGandhi attended Nirav Modi cocktail party and Bridal wear prog at Imperial Hotel Delhi in September 2013 while loans were wrongly given to Mama Bhanja".
"Open challenge to Rahul Gandhi to deny he met Nirav Modi in September 2013 cocktail party -11th Sep if my memory serves me right! Imperial Hotel- Rahul spent a long time!Same period when loans given to Mehul Choksi & Nirav Modi!! SPG may have records or let's undergo lie detector test?" he added.
Poonawalla also said: "There is a reason why Rahul Gandhi has formed a MahaGathBandhan with Vijay Mallya & relies on such fugitives' statements - ever since the @narendramodi govt brought in the Fugitive Economic Offender's Law - Bhagodas and potential bhagodas are feeling anxious."
A fresh war of words broke out between the BJP and Congress over Vijay Mallya on Thursday with Congress President Rahul Gandhi seeking Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys resignation over "free passage" given to the fugitive businessman and the BJP hitting out by alleging that UPA government gave "sweet deals" to him and that Gandhi family "partially owned the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines through proxy".
The ruling party rejected the demand for Jailtley's resignation and instead sought to turn the tables on Congress by asking Rahul Gandhi to quit in the National Herald case.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
