Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the perfume trader Peeyush Jain and said that the 'itar' (fragrance) of corruption that was spread before 2017 has now exposed.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project alongside the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project, the Prime Minister said, "They take credit for every development works done in the state. I was thinking if they will also take credit of the suitcases full of cash which are recovered in the last few days."
"The itar (fragrance) of corruption that was spread before 2017 in the entire state has now exposed. They are not commenting on the issue, nor taking the credit," PM Modi said.
"The heap of notes is their reality," he added.
Earlier speaking at a public rally in Sultanpur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also reacted to Jain's arrest and said, "Recently, a perfume businessman from Samajwadi Party was caught. Akhilesh ji is squirming, asking why we conduct raids. Rs 250 crore were seized from his (Piyush Jain) house. Akhilesh Ji, where did this money come from?"
This comes after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav denied any links with perfume businessman Peeyush Jain.
"Raids on businessman Peeyush Jain's houses and establishments in Kanpur are not linked with Samajwadi Party at all. This incident shows that demonetisation has failed. Officials who conducted raids may tell sources of recovered newly printed Rs 2,000 note," Yadav had said earlier in the day.
The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), which seized Rs 194.45 crores of cash, 23 kg gold and 600 kg sandalwood from businessman Peeyush Jain's possession.
The accused has admitted that cash recovered was related to the sale of goods without payment of taxes.
The Kanpur-based businessman was arrested on Sunday under Section 67 of the CGST Act after the recovery of unaccounted cash, gold and sandalwood.
The accused has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a Kanpur court in the matter.
( With inputs from ANI )
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