None of our leaders travelled with Shahid Balwa: BJP

BJP today made light of allegations that its president Nitin Gadkari had used a helicopter belonging to 2G scam accused Shahid Balwa, saying none of its leaders travelled with the managing director of DB Realty.

Asked if the allegation against Gadkari was true, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad shot back, "None of our leaders had gone with Balwaji."

He argued that during elections and party programmes BJP and all political parties hire helicopters and chartered planes and checking the antecedents of the owner is not always possible.

"Several planes are hired during elections and at a short notice. All we want is a good plane," Prasad said.

BJP had alleged yesterday that NCP Chief and union minister Sharad Pawar had travelled with Balwa in his private plane. This had led to NCP levelling charges against Gadkari of having used Balwa's plane.

The principal opposition has maintained that all bills for private planes used by its leaders have been paid. Other than Gadkari, some more BJP leaders had reportedly used Balwa's planes.

Eon Aviation, owned by Balwa, used to give its planes for hire to politicians and industrialists, among others.

Balwa is in jail in the Telecom scam as he is the promoter of Swan Telecom (now DB Etisalat), which is one of the beneficiaries of the 2G spectrum allocation.