Prakash Javadekar blames Congress for destroying banking discipline, system

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar strongly criticised the Congress for attacking the government over the Nirav Modi-Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, saying it would boomerang on the latter.

Speaking to DNA, Javadekar said, "'The Congress wants to deflect attention and blame the government as the party is a frustrated lot. During the four years of the BJP rule, the Congress party did not get a single chance to level corruption charges against the government. I will advise the Congress against raising voice on scams because they are the culprit and they have destroyed all the systems.''

Javadekar credited the BJP government with bringing transparency in economic transactions and the banking system. ''We are recapitalising banks with more and more openness, vigil and disclosure norms in operations,'' he noted.

The BJP minister countered Congress's claim that the Nirav Modi scam was a government failure.

''It is not a government failure. The government has acted tough, all agencies are working (to nail the culprits). Within 24 hours Nirav Modi's assets worth Rs 6,000 crore were seized,'' he pointed out.

Javadekar said the scam started way back in 2011 under the UPA's nose, and this is a testimony of how UPA systematically destroyed discipline in the banking system.

''Here is a case where a government-appointed director of Allahabad Bank, Dinesh Dubey, had opposed restructuring plus additional loans to the Gitanjali chains. But, instead of backing him, the government forced him to resign.

Instead of firing the culprit and stopping the fraud, the UPA government fired the whistle-blower. How did this scam take place when Rahul Gandhi (Congress president) visited the exhibition (of Gitanjali) and the next day Allahabad Bank took up the issue of restructuring,'' the minister asked.

Javadekar explained that 2G, Common Wealth Games, allotment of coal mining and land to Jijaji (Robert Vadra) were all government scams where government decisions and licences were later cancelled by the Supreme Court.

"All these scams were government scams, but Nirav Modi is a bank fraud which was possible due to laxity on the part of the UPA government. They protected the scamster. They are completely responsible for it and are now crying foul, which will not work,'' he opined.

Javadekar also attacked the Left. ''Despite having two directors on the bank board, how come Communist parties did not speak up against the scam. They were supporting the UPA then,'' he alleged.