Cong BJP trade barbs over Yes Bank co-founders painting allegation
New Delhi Apr 24 PTI The Congress and the BJP engaged in a war of words on Sunday over Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoors allegation that he was forced to buy an M F Husain painting from party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with the Opposition party calling it political vendetta and the ruling party accusing the Gandhi family of being extortionistsKapoor has told the Enforcement Directorate that he was forced to buy the M F Husain painting from Priyanka Gandhi and the sale proceeds were utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New York according to the charge sheet filed by the federal anti-money laundering agency in a special court in MumbaiHe told the Enforcement Directorate ED that he was told by the then petroleum minister Murli Deora that the refusal to buy the painting will not only prevent him from building a relationship with the Gandhi family but also prevent him from getting the Padma Bhushan awardKapoor also told the agency that Ahmed Patel a close confidante of Sonia Gandhi had told him that by supporting the Gandhi family at an opportune time for medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi I Kapoor had performed a good deed for the family and it would be duly considered for the Padma Bhushan awardAsked about the allegations at a press conference Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said This is absolutely astonishing I dont want to use a strong word it is absolutely disgusting that a 2010 transaction a person who is behind bars for years whose 20-30 bail applications have been rejected who is called a crook and a fraudster makes allegations about dead people and the government is jumping with joy only because it suits their political angle The government wants to keep the pot boiling for 2022 for a transaction in 2010 when neither Murli Deora is here to deny it nor Ahmed Patel is here to deny Singhvi saidWhat is the objective of this is it the result of your government pressure tactics and coercion on a person behind bars eager to get his freedom to record statements against political opponents and to keep a 12-year-old thing boiling just for convenience of politics the Rajya Sabha MP said hitting out at the governmentThe BJP alleged that the Congress and the Gandhis are extortionists and were also selling the Padma BhushanReferring to the Congress election symbol of hand BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said The Congress hand is with corruptionwhile common people were suffering the Congress and the Gandhi family were enjoyingAddressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here Bhatia said that when the Congress was in power members of the Gandhi family used to put pressure on party leaders to ensure the painting is boughtPriyanka Gandhi put pressure to ensure that the painting worth Rs 2 crore is bought by Kapoor he saidBJPs IT Cell head Amit Malviya said it is quite clear from Kapoors confession to the ED that the Gandhis and Congress are not just extortionist but were also selling the countrys highest civilian honour to the highest bidder or durbaris who did their bidding It was an instrument to buy loyalty or silenceBhatia claimed that Kapoor did not want to give Rs 2 crore for the painting but the ministers of the Congress government put pressure on him that if he does not buy the painting from Priyanka Gandhi then the Gandhi family will wreak havoc on himIn his response to the allegations Singhvi cited that in March 2014 the Yes Bank loan book stood at Rs 55000 crore and in March 2019 it had increased nearly five times to Rs 241 lakh croreThe loan book of Yes Bank also showed a very dramatic increase between two other dates which are very inconvenient for the Modi government about which neither the government nor the prime minister talk about anymore In March 2016 it was Rs 98000 crore and in March 2018 it became 203 lakh crore about more than double Remember when demonetisation happened November 2016 he saidSinghvi also pointed out that the BJP-led Haryana government invested Rs 2500 crore as government money into accounts of a sinking Yes BankThey are trying to create a fear psychosis to scare people to do political vendetta they should know better than that At least spare the dead At least dont defame people like Deora and Ahmed Patel he saidWe all know the credibility of the ED and more than that the credibility of the person accused in this case who is supposed to have made this statement he addedThe statements of Rana Kapoor are part of the second supplementary charge sheet overall third filed in the special court recently against the Yes Bank co-founder his family Dewan Housing Finance Limited DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan and others in a money laundering caseStating that he had paid a cheque of Rs 2 crore Kapoor claimed that Milind Deora son of the late Murli Deora and former Congress MP later conveyed to him confidentially that the sale proceeds were utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi in New YorkKapoor is currently in judicial custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020 The Wadhwans too are in jail custody after their arrest in another case PTI ASKJTR ASK ANB ANB
New Delhi Apr 24 PTI The Congress and the BJP engaged in a war of words on Sunday over Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoors allegation that he was forced to buy an M F Husain painting from party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with the Opposition party calling it political vendetta and the ruling party accusing the Gandhi family of being extortionistsKapoor has told the Enforcement Directorate that he was forced to buy the M F Husain painting from Priyanka Gandhi and the sale proceeds were utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New York according to the charge sheet filed by the federal anti-money laundering agency in a special court in MumbaiHe told the Enforcement Directorate ED that he was told by the then petroleum minister Murli Deora that the refusal to buy the painting will not only prevent him from building a relationship with the Gandhi family but also prevent him from getting the Padma Bhushan awardKapoor also told the agency that Ahmed Patel a close confidante of Sonia Gandhi had told him that by supporting the Gandhi family at an opportune time for medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi I Kapoor had performed a good deed for the family and it would be duly considered for the Padma Bhushan awardAsked about the allegations at a press conference Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said This is absolutely astonishing I dont want to use a strong word it is absolutely disgusting that a 2010 transaction a person who is behind bars for years whose 20-30 bail applications have been rejected who is called a crook and a fraudster makes allegations about dead people and the government is jumping with joy only because it suits their political angle The government wants to keep the pot boiling for 2022 for a transaction in 2010 when neither Murli Deora is here to deny it nor Ahmed Patel is here to deny Singhvi saidWhat is the objective of this is it the result of your government pressure tactics and coercion on a person behind bars eager to get his freedom to record statements against political opponents and to keep a 12-year-old thing boiling just for convenience of politics the Rajya Sabha MP said hitting out at the governmentThe BJP alleged that the Congress and the Gandhis are extortionists and were also selling the Padma BhushanReferring to the Congress election symbol of hand BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said The Congress hand is with corruptionwhile common people were suffering the Congress and the Gandhi family were enjoyingAddressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here Bhatia said that when the Congress was in power members of the Gandhi family used to put pressure on party leaders to ensure the painting is boughtPriyanka Gandhi put pressure to ensure that the painting worth Rs 2 crore is bought by Kapoor he saidBJPs IT Cell head Amit Malviya said it is quite clear from Kapoors confession to the ED that the Gandhis and Congress are not just extortionist but were also selling the countrys highest civilian honour to the highest bidder or durbaris who did their bidding It was an instrument to buy loyalty or silenceBhatia claimed that Kapoor did not want to give Rs 2 crore for the painting but the ministers of the Congress government put pressure on him that if he does not buy the painting from Priyanka Gandhi then the Gandhi family will wreak havoc on himIn his response to the allegations Singhvi cited that in March 2014 the Yes Bank loan book stood at Rs 55000 crore and in March 2019 it had increased nearly five times to Rs 241 lakh croreThe loan book of Yes Bank also showed a very dramatic increase between two other dates which are very inconvenient for the Modi government about which neither the government nor the prime minister talk about anymore In March 2016 it was Rs 98000 crore and in March 2018 it became 203 lakh crore about more than double Remember when demonetisation happened November 2016 he saidSinghvi also pointed out that the BJP-led Haryana government invested Rs 2500 crore as government money into accounts of a sinking Yes BankThey are trying to create a fear psychosis to scare people to do political vendetta they should know better than that At least spare the dead At least dont defame people like Deora and Ahmed Patel he saidWe all know the credibility of the ED and more than that the credibility of the person accused in this case who is supposed to have made this statement he addedThe statements of Rana Kapoor are part of the second supplementary charge sheet overall third filed in the special court recently against the Yes Bank co-founder his family Dewan Housing Finance Limited DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan and others in a money laundering caseStating that he had paid a cheque of Rs 2 crore Kapoor claimed that Milind Deora son of the late Murli Deora and former Congress MP later conveyed to him confidentially that the sale proceeds were utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi in New YorkKapoor is currently in judicial custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020 The Wadhwans too are in jail custody after their arrest in another case PTI ASKJTR ASK ANB ANB
