The Bharatiya Janatay Party on Thursday warned the Congress of legal action for its “baseless and untrue” allegations, including that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its chief Amit Shah have links with Gujarat businessman Mahesh Shah, who is being probed for declaring an unaccounted income of Rs. 13,860 crore.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also rejected the Congress’s charge against Mr. Amit Shah, who is one of the directors of a Gujarat bank in which deposits of over Rs. 500 crore were made, and asserted that the bank has over 200 branches and it will give explanation on the matter.
In a reference to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP at that party’s 132nd foundation day, Mr. Prasad told reporters that Congress leaders and spokespersons behaved like “children” and “today’s Congress does not represent even a grain of its 132 year’s heritage”.
“We want to make it clear that our Prime Minister and party president have no links whatsoever with the person by the name of Mahesh Shah, against whom action is going on. If the Congress has any proof, it should talk about it. Otherwise, we will consider taking legal action under the law dealing with levelling of baseless allegations,” the Minister said.
Mr. Prasad was joined by Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who is also the party’s treasurer, as they hit out at the main Opposition party.
It has become the second nature of the Congress to level “untrue and baseless” allegation, he said.
Mr. Prasad said the Congress was “rattled” by Mr. Modi’s continuous attack on those linked with black money and corruption and it thought that its attack on him would “weaken” his fight. Action was taken against those linked to the BJP, he said, citing a case in Madhya Pradesh.
“The Congress is the biggest patron of the corrupt and corruption. If it thinks that its attack will have any impact on the government, it is wrong. The government will remain unfazed and continue to act against black money and corruption,” he said.
The corrupt and those with black money have long been patronised by the Congress, he alleged, adding that they now “cry” before its leadership to save them from the government’s action.
“I want to ask Congress chief Sonia Gandhi if the childish behaviour of her son and more childish conduct of its spokespersons is being done at her behest,” he added.
