Vasundhara Raje, Lalit Modi partners in business: Congress

NEW DELHI: Alleging that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former IPL chief Lalit Modi were “business partners”, the Congress party on Friday produced her 2013 election affidavit to show that she owns 3,280 shares in son Dushyant Singh’s firm Niyant Heritage Hotels Private Ltd.

“Raje’s affidavit proves direct financial involvement of Vasundhara Raje with Lalit Modi; that they are business partners,” said Dr Ajoy Kumar in a press conference. The controversial firm has been at the Centre of controversy for the past weeks, ever since it emerges that Modi had bought shares in it at an inflated premium of Rs 96,190.

So far, documents in public domain showed financial transactions between Dushyant and Modi. However, Raje’s link was nowhere in the picture. Today, the affidavit produced by Congress showed Raje owning 3,280 shares. This is apart from Modi helmed firm’s 965 shares and Dushyant and Niharika’s 4,815 and 5,000 shares, respectively, in the firm.

Responding to Congress’ charges, BJP Rajasthan state president Ashok Parnami conceded that Raje did own shares in the firm but ‘1615 and 1665’ shares of the company were gifted to CM on her birthday by Dushyant and Niharika”. He rejected the business connections drawn by Congress into the share transfers.

“CM Vasundhara ji has shown these shares in her ITR and these have been made known to the EC as well. There are no irregularities at all,” he said. Alleging that Congress is “issueless”, Parnami claimed this was the reason why it was raising “unnecessary allegation against Vasundhara ji and her family”.