New Delhi: The Congress accused the Centre of carrying out a ‘blind witch hunt’ and applying ‘double standards’ after it instituted a probe into the funding of trusts run by the Gandhi family. The Congress said why such questions are not asked to the institutions close to the ruling BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said those who fight for the truth cannot be intimidated.
“Mr Modi believes the world is like him. He thinks everyone has a price or can be intimidated. He will never understand that those who fight for the truth have no price and cannot be intimidated,” Rahul tweeted.
The former Congress chief did not mention the inquiry. However, his remarks came soon after the government set up an inter-ministerial team. The team will probe into the alleged violation of various laws including the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by three trusts associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family – the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust (IGMT).
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said a desperate Modi-Shah Government has fallen back on a ‘devious hounding of those exposing its ineptitude by ordering a wholly vicious and vengeful investigation’ of the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
“The Congress and its leadership will not be intimidated by the cowardly acts and blind witch-hunt by a panicked Modi Government,” Surjewala said in a statement.
Daring the government to deploy its machinery in investigating the financial sources of the trusts, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said they have nothing to fear and will answer every question like law-abiding persons.
Referring to the RSS, ‘Vivekananda Foundation’, ‘India Foundation’ and ‘Overseas Friends of BJP’ as ‘blue-eyed, sanctified holy cows’ which are protected by the government, the Congress leader said such entities are not asked questions about the 9th Schedule exemptions that the Gandhi-family run trusts are asked.
“The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has nothing to add or fear because you have all the ‘yantras and tantras’ and you can ask every question at every inquiry. We are here as law-abiding persons to answer. But, you need to be exposed fully, in that you don’t ever ask these questions of many holy cows,” said Singhvi.
Accusing the Centre of ‘harassing’ the opposition, Singhvi said the government can ask them as many questions as it wants, but sought to know if entities close to the government will be asked the same set of questions.
“You are harassing each opposition segment, individual or institutional, and if you were not to do it, people would believe this is not your ‘chal, chehra and pehchan’.
Singhvi said the country will expose the government each time questions are asked about the RGF which will provide ‘truckloads of audited papers’ about its finances. He said the RGF will continue with its ‘sterling work’ without being bogged down by the ‘pressures’ of the government.