Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi after threatening Narendra Modi for past two weeks that he would expose the PM’s “personal corruption”, finally he did so. He chose a public rally in the PM’s home district of Mehsana in Gujarat to allege that Modi took Rs 40 crore from Sahara group between December 2013 and February 2014 when he was the Gujarat CM.

Gandhi claimed that the Income Tax department in November 2014 raided on Sahara’s premises and recovered documents. “These are on record. I want to share with you the contents of the documents. There were several entries, which I am reading out before you.”

He pronounced nine entries: Rs 5 crore on November 2012; Rs 2.5 crore on October 30 ’13; Rs 2.5 crore on November 27, ’13; Rs 5 crore on November 29, ’13, Rs 5 crore on December 6, ’13; Rs 5 crore on December 19, ’13; Rs 5 crore on January 13, 2014; Rs 5 crore on January 28, ’14; Rs 5 crore on February 22, ’14.

Rahul said the records have been with the I-T department for last two-and-a-half years. “There are I-T officers’ signatures on these records which state that an inquiry should be conducted. But nothing has happened. Let Modiji institute an independent committee to investigate these records… We want to know whether it is true that money was given to you nine times by Sahara?”

The Congress vice-president further said according to the I-T department, in 2013 the Birla group also paid Rs 12 crore to Modi. He said he was raising the issue on behalf of the country.

He alleged, “You made the nation stand in line. You doubted the honesty of citizens, their hard-earned income. Modiji owes an explanation to this nation, especially those whom he has forced to toil in queues for days –farmers, women, labourers and sincere hardworking people –whether these records are true or false.”

Claiming that Modi’s demonetisation move was not a surgical strike on black money but on the poor he averred this benefitted the 50 rich families which are the PM’s favourite, including Vijay Mallya.

Randeep Surjewala, the Congress communication department head said to the reporters if the PM says that he is innocent and has not taken any money and is ready for an investigation “then let there be an impartial probe by an independent agency which the nation trusts.”

BJP denied all the allegations

After Rahul Gandhi made the accusations against Modi, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Gandhi was actually ‘frustrated’ by its consecutive electoral losses.

He alleged, “I condemn the shameful, baseless allegations of Rahul Gandhi. People will never believe it.”

The minister mentioned the Agusta Westland scam and said the Congress leader was trying to divert attention from the scam.

Prasad said, “Names of Congress leaders are surfacing in the Agusta Westland scam. His family’s name has surfaced in the scam in Italy, and an investigation is on here in India as well. He has given this statement to divert attention from the scam.”