New Delhi, June 27 BJP President J.P. Nadda on Saturday lashed out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the alleged fund gate involving the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), labelling it as "sin".
"I want to ask Soniaji not to try and avoid the original questions under the garb of Corona or the situation at China border," said Nadda. Asking 10 pointed questions to Gandhi, Nadda started with, "The nation of 130 crore people wants to know about the deeds done by the Gandhi family, what work you did while in governance and how you betrayed the people." Nadda alleged cast insinuation while he went on using, "What was the need to be a part of RCEP? How did India's trade deficit with China rise from $1.1 billion to $36.2 billion?"
In a no holds barred attack on the Congress Chief, the BJP President questioned, "What is the exact relationship between INC and the Communist Party of China? What is the tacit understanding? What is the signed and unsigned MoU? The country wants to know."
Raising the issue first broken by on Friday, Nadda asked, "The RGF worked in close association with China Association for Internationally Friendly Contact. This organization is a vehicle used by the Central Military Commission of China. The purpose of this Commission is to infiltrate and influence the voices of leaders of other countries." CAIFC was dubbed as a front for intelligence gathering in an August 2018 US report.
Nadda also raked up the issue of money being "diverted from PM National Relief Fund to RGF between 2005-2008". Turning the table against Rahul Gandhi who once coined the term "suit boot ki sarkar" to corner Modi government for its alleged pro-business outlook, the BJP Chief asked bluntly, "The RGF took hefty donations from major Indian corporates, but their rhetoric was for the poor people. Wasn't this quid pro quo of the purest form?"
Digging deeper into the PMNRF funding RGF, Nadda claimed, "Who is the auditor of the PM National Relief Fund? The auditor was Thakur Vaidyanathan and Aiyyar Co. This was founded by Mr Rameshwar Thakur, who happened to be Union MoS of Finance. He was Rajya Sabha MP for two terms and was governor of four states." Nadda demanded to know why he was made an auditor in the first place.
He also raked up the land lease issue saying, "I want to know how such precious land, on which Jawahar Bhawan is built, was given to RGF on perpetual lease? Why was it given and why was it selected to be given at such a costly place on a perpetual lease?" He also asked to know the reason for RGF's refusal to GAG to audit the foundation. He also sought to know the reason it was kept outside the purview of the RTI.
Nadda also took a sharp dig at former PM Manmohan Singh, while using his own phrase against him, "I want to ask Manmohan Singh Ji - What do you have to say on this monumental loot and the organized plunder of public money?"
The BJP chief called the donations made by the Foundation as "dodgy while asserting, "I would like to know how it donated to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, that is controlled by the family?"
However, the BJP ended with a very sharp insinuation when Nadda asked, "My last question is - I want to know how Mehul Choksi is connected to RGF? How did Congress help Mehul Choksi in getting a loan?"
The BJP has gone all guns blazing ever since revelations about Chinese government's donations to the Rajiv Gandhi foundation came to the fore which led to new revelations regarding the RGF, almost every single day. Now with the BJP fronting its top man to ask 10 direct questions to Sonia Gandhi, using terms like "sin", "monumental loot" and "quid pro quo", the ball is certainly in Congress court now.
( With inputs from IANS )