Come clean on National Herald scam: BJP to Congress

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday demanded that the Congress Party should come clean on National Herald ' scam' rather than making allegations against private individuals and their private property.

Reacting to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's accusation, earlier in the day, that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje conspired to convert the Dholpur Palace, a government property, into a luxury hotel, BJP leader Narsimha Rao said that the Rajasthan Government had no role to play in this entire issue.

Rao also questioned whether former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who was in power in the state until 2013, was a party to the transaction or not.

"I think these are completely baseless allegations which the Congress Party has chosen to make simply to be in the news. We would rather demand that the Congress Party should come clean on the allegations concerning the manner in which 2,000 crore worth National Herald was taken over by the Gandhi family. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi owned almost the entire share in Young India which acquired the entire property under National Herald for a pittance. This is called looting the public property. The Congress Party should come clean on this rather than make allegations against private individuals and their private property," Rao told ANI here.

"This is a matter concerning a private company and private individuals. There is no Rajasthan Government involved in this entire issue. I think the Congress Party is so desperate to keep up the attack that they are taking recourse to even lies and falsehood. Even they were in power for five years until 2013 when Ashok Gehlot was the chief minister...Was Ashok Gehlot also a party to this transaction? If the allegations are to be taken seriously, was Ashok Gehlot also interested in this property?" he asked.

Rao further alleged that the opposition has no positive agenda but to indulge in petty politics.

"I think Congress has no other work to do. They have no positive agenda. They want to simply indulge in politics whereas the Centre is committed to focus on development and welfare of the people of the country," said Rao.

"People can really see the distinction between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP has a pro-development, pro-people agenda and the Congress is mired in political mudslinging and has really forgotten public interest and public agenda," he added.

Calling the Raje-Lalit Modi links in Dholpur Palace case a bizarre example of "private private partnership", Jairam Ramesh went on to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued silence on ' Lalitgate', calling him "Swami Maunendra".

This was the fourth allegation made against Raje who has been facing censure for secretly supporting Lalit Modi's immigration plea in Britain.

 (ANI)