BJP defends Jay Shah; Cong questions PM's silence

The government on Monday made a spirited defence of BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay Shah over the controversy surrounding a news report regarding alleged 16,000 times rise in fortune of a company belonging to him and announced that Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent him in the criminal defamation filed against the news portal.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "We believe that he (Jay) has been wronged and must get justice. There is no harm if the best of lawyers appear for him."

Goyal said Mehta had sought Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's permission to appear for Jay and the approval was granted.

Insisting that the purpose of the story was to defame the BJP and its government by making "derogatory and defamatory imputations", Goyal said there is nothing wrong in IREDA giving a grant to Jay Shah's company as it has done so with at least 2,000 other entreprenuers seeking entry into the field of renewable energy.

Piyush defended BJP leaders coming out in defence of Jay Shah, saying that it was needed as the report cast aspersions on BJP chief and presented the facts in a manner creating baseless doubts in the minds of people.

"As a leader of the party I have a duty to speak when my photo and my party president's photo is being used in the article to create wrong perception in the minds of the readers," said Goyal.

Bringing up Robert Vadra's case, Goyal said if the Congress was so sure no wrong has been committed, why did it not file a criminal defamation case like Jay was doing.

Meanwhile, Congress kept up the attack on the government with party spokespersons panning out in a number of capitals to hold press conferences on the issue.

Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of "silence" on the episode and nudged him to "say something". Escalating it further, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma and party communication department chief Randeep Singh demanded from the Prime Minister to remove Amit Shah as BJP president and get the matter investigated by a two-member commission of Supreme Court judges.

"Modiji, ...Did you act as a watchman or were you a partner? Please say something," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Speaking in Kheda in Gujarat, Gandhi referred to the Prime Minister's assertion that he would neither engage in corruption nor allow it to happen and said, "Now when Amit Shah's son's company has grown 16,000 times, Modi ji has gone silent".

"This is a strange world. In 2014, the company was nothing. Modi ji came (to power in 2014) and launched 'start up India', 'make in India', then introduced demonetisation and GST. This destroyed small businessmen and farmers. But from this fire, one company comes up. It was nothing in 2014 but in a few months it became so big that this company's worth of Rs 50,000 rose to Rs 80 crore," Gandhi said.

Referring to entrepreneurship in Gujarat, Gandhi asked whether Gujaratis, who are adept at running businesses, can do it.

In New Delhi, Sharma said that Amit Shah should give up his post until the probe is over, like LK Advaniji did, Nitin Gadkariji did when charges were levelled against them (in separate cases).

In Jaipur, Surjewala said Modi should relieve Amit Shah from the party president post and get the claims probed by a two-member commission of Supreme Court judges. "Why shy away from a probe if there's nothing wrong? There is no smoke without fire. The country was waiting for development... but 'Jai ka Vikas ho gaya'," he said.

In Kolkata, Congress spokesperson Tarun Gogoi asked, "Now will the PM order a probe into this or will that too go down as another 'jumla'? It is a test for the PM's principles."