Political tempers rose on Saturday as the BJP and Congress traded barbs over the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case and billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi's escape to the US. The Congress accused the BJP of deliberately not taking any action despite having "full knowledge of the scam" and BJP hit back claiming the "origin sin" had been committed during the UPA regime, when Rahul Gandhi had been associated with Gitanjali Gems in 2013.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that while Nirav Modi may have exited the country, the government was taking every action against him. She also alleged that the multi-crore PNB scam had started during the UPA rule and the Congress had been "spreading lies."
"We are not conspiring to help scamsters flee the country, the BJP government is catching them instead," she said.
Sitharaman also alleged that it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had attended a promotional event hosted by Nirav Modi in 2013.
She also cited an example of a government director of Allahabad Bank, claiming that he had raised objections in 2013 to the financial restructuring of Gitanjali Gems, but was asked by the then UPA government to resign and his dissent was not even recorded.
Sitharaman went on to say that Nirav Modi-run Firestar Diamond International had taken on lease a property of Adwait Holdings, a company in which Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi's wife and son are directors. "What is important is that the premises has been used by Firestar Diamond International," she said.
Reacting to Sitharaman's allegations, Singhvi denied having he or his family had any links with both the accused — Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Group promoter Mehul Choksi — and charged the BJP with playing "cheap politics".
"BJP/NDA's cheap sense of politics has reached ludicrous and ridiculous proportions... Neither my wife, sons nor me have anything whatsoever to do with Gitanjali or Nirav Modi companies," Singhvi said in a statement.
"His (Nirav Modi) company was a tenant in Parel Kamla Mills commercial property owned by our family company. Last August, the company gave notice to quit tenancy and vacated Parel Kamla Mills premises in December 2017. This tenancy ended in December 2017," he added.
Singhvi also threatened to file a defamation case against Sitharaman and her colleagues for making "ill-considered, ignorant and patently false allegations."
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal stated demanded that the Finance Minister make a statement on the scam."We are making a direct allegation against the PMO and FM that they were aware that the country was being looted but turned a blind eye...Why don't the finance minister and RBI come out and give a statement?" asked Sibal.
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