Rahul Gandhi 'misled' Lok Sabha: Ravi Shankar Prasad
New Delhi (PTI): BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday accused the Gandhi family of being involved in corruption, saying those out on bail were hurling "baseless" accusations against the Government.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Prasad said Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Tuesday were "baseless, shameful and full of lies, and came from a feeling of dejection".
On Tuesday, Gandhi had attacked the Government over the Hindenburg report, claiming that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually.
"Those out on bail and are currently facing trial (in National Herald case) are levelling baseless allegations," Prasad said countering Gandhi.
Gandhi has not been able to accept the fact that people had twice elected Narendra Modi as the prime minister and will again do so in 2024, he said.
He said the Adani group has also invested in states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Kerala, which are ruled by non-BJP parties.
Prasad also countered the allegations made by Gandhi regarding Adani's assets in foreign countries, saying that even during the UPA rule, the group had made overseas investments.
"Rahul Gandhi has a problem with the growth of Indian businesses. Things have changed under the Modi Government. Now businesses are growing honestly, and commissions and dealings have stopped. Hence the Congress party has a problem," Prasad said.
The BJP leader from Bihar said the Congress rule was marred by corruption in 2G spectrum allocation, Commonwealth Games, besides coal and Adarsh Housing scams. They also want weapons for defence forces to come from abroad.
"The family which is deep in corruption is levelling allegations against Modi Government, which is focussing on development," Prasad said, accusing Gandhi of misleading the House.
Certain remarks made by Gandhi in the House on Tuesday were expunged from the records.
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Karnataka govt forms SIT to probe cases against BJP MLA Munirathna
Bengaluru, Sep 21: The Karnataka government on Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Additional Director General of Police (CID) B K Singh to probe three criminal cases registered against BJP MLA Munirathna, including a casteist slur and a rape case.
The announcement came after a court remanded Munirathna to 14 days’ judicial custody in an alleged rape case earlier in the day.
The investigation team also comprises three IPS officers, Labhu Ram, Soumyalatha S K and C A Simon.
The team has been asked to probe not only the three cases against him but also all the cases registered against the MLA and his aides in various police stations across the state.
Munirathna was arrested a week ago in connection with two FIRs being lodged against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse.
Soon after he was released on bail, he was arrested in a rape case and was remanded to judicial custody on Saturday.
The cases against the Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA were filed at Vyalikaval police station on September 13.
In the first FIR filed by the police based on a complaint by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor Cheluvaraju, the MLA is accused of demanding Rs 30 lakh as a bribe and threatening to terminate his contract if he did not pay the money.
The contractor alleged that Munirathna had initially demanded Rs 20 lakh in 2021 for a solid waste disposal contract. However, despite making that payment for getting 10 auto trippers for a waste management contract, he was not sanctioned those vehicles by the civic body.
According to the FIR, Cheluvaraju was being repeatedly harassed by the MLA, who allegedly verbally abused him and also physically assaulted him.
In the complaint, the contractor further alleged that the MLA did not allow him to execute his work and had even slapped him in September 2023.
Three others, including government officials, were also named in the FIR for allegedly threatening, abusing and harassing the contractor.
Cheluvaraju also claimed in the complaint that he contemplated ending his life because of the repeated harassment.
The contractor has also released a purported audio recording of a phone conversation between him and Munirathna.
According to the police, the second FIR against the accused MLA was filed on the complaint of a BBMP corporator who alleged that Munirathna had hurled casteist abuse, and insulted his caste and family.
The third case was registered on September 19 against Munirathna and six others following the complaint by a 40- year-old woman who alleged that the rape took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station’s jurisdiction.
While Munirathna said the allegations against him were "far from truth", the BJP called it the politics of vendetta.
"For the last 15 years, there have been no allegations by a contractor or from the public that Munirathna has used derogatory language. After the Lok Sabha polls and results, conspiracies have been planned against me," the MLA said.
