Lok Sabha polls 2014: Congress releases CD against Narendra Modi showing him in company of alleged hawala dealer

NEW DELHI The propaganda battle between BJP and Congress escalated on Monday with both sides levelling charges of graft against the other. A day after BJP released a compact disc with details of controversial real estate deals of Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, Congress hit back on Monday, distributing material that allegedly exposes BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s links with a hawala dealer.

The Congress CD purportedly has photographs and video clips of Modi with one Afroze Patta, who was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate from Surat for running a “hawala racket” worth Rs 1,000 crore. Congress sought an independent probe into “Modi’s links with Patta”.

Soon after, BJP spokeswoman Nirmala Sitharaman questioned the “silence” of Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi over allegations against Vadra. BJP asked them whether the internal politics of Congress does not allow them to speak about Vadra or defend him.

“There can be a sister or a daughter coming to his defence, but the mother-in-law and brother-in-law are not there to defend (Vadra). Neither is it a family matter nor just another case of corruption,” Sitharaman said, rejecting Priyanka Gandhi’s contention.
Sitharaman’s comments came immediately after AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala released several photographs showing Afroze Patta among a group of people with Modi and other leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Surjewala also distributed screen shots of Patta and Modi on the website of the Gujarat chief minister and another one of Patta with BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.

ED on March 22 had raided the house and office of the alleged “hawala kingpin”, reportedly a diamond trader by profession, and claimed to have unearthed a scheme using fake bills for non-existent diamond deals to bring in thousands of crores of rupees stashed away abroad.

“What is the nature of relationship of Narendra Modi with the alleged hawala kingpin?” asked Surjewala.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Modi over allotment of land at low prices to the Adani Group. At a rally in Kanpur, Gandhi accused Modi of giving undue favours to Adani worth Rs 40,000 crore. “There is only one model in Gujarat and that is to help industrialists and big corporate houses,” he said.

Kanpur is witnessing a close contest between former Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi of BJP and Sriprakash Jaiswal of Congress, the sitting MP from the constituency that goes to polls on April 30.

Congress also dismissed BJP’s attack on Vadra as “trash allegations” saying the Opposition party is “nervous” of Priyanka Gandhi’s campaign. “It is very clear that BJP is rattled. Earlier, they were thinking that it’s a cakewalk. Now they have realised that the heat is on them. So, it is very clear that they are bringing in issues and personal matters. Robert Vadra is a private individual. He is under attack because he is married to Priyanka Gandhi,” Union minister Anand Sharma said.

He also said BJP could have filed an FIR if there was any violation of law.