BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said that the allegations of the Congress that BJP president Nitin Gadkari's close associates benefited from the Adarsh Housing Society scam was a Congress strategy to divert attention from the big scams.
Dismissing allegations of BJP president Nitin Gadkari's close associates benefitting from the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the party today charged that this was a "Congress-inspired" conspiracy and offered full cooperation to a thorough probe into the matter.
"We think there is a clear, Congress-inspired plant in the way in which President of the BJP, Nitin Gadkari is being repeatedly attacked by spokesperson of the Congress and its other leaders," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
She alleged that this was a Congress strategy to divert attention from the big scams but maintained the people would not be "fooled" by such tactics.
"Throwing false allegations and diverting the attention of people from issues related to large scandals have now become part of Congress strategy so that the people can be distracted from such heartless scandals that they have done. Stealing away the land that was given to war widows, can there be a more heartless scandal than that?" Sitharaman said.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had alleged that the driver of Ajay Sancheti, a close associate of Gadkari and a BJP National Executive member, had got a flat on the recommendation of Gadkari.
Later, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh insisted that the antecedents of Gadkari should be checked as till just a few years back he was not so well-off financially.
BJP insisted that the "story does not end" with the resignation of Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
"It is a heartless crime. And I am sure there are a lot more skeletons coming out... Repeated and false allegations are being levelled. We charge Congress and want them to have investigation done in each allegation against Gadkari," Sitharaman said.
She recalled that Gadkari had himself asked for a thorough probe into the matter as Congress was in power at the Centre as well as in Maharashtra.
"Certainly there will be complete cooperation from our side. We assert that every allegation that has come up is completely baseless... let them prove it," Sitharaman said.
She rubbished arguments that a JPC probe cannot be ordered into the Adarsh Society scam as it was a state matter.
"Repeatedly, the Congress party has said the Maharashtra government can take care of it. There is no role for Parliament or the Central government to deal with it. Let us not forget that the land belongs to the defence ministry. And defence as we know is a Union government subject," she said.
BJP would continue to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into all allegations of corruption in UPA-II, she added.
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