‘Raid my home too if I do something wrong,’ Narendra Modi says in Madhya Pradesh
He alleged that corruption was the ‘only protocol’ in the Congress, and took digs at party President Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the Congress for alleged corruption in the party, and said that his home should also be raided by the Income Tax department the day he is found to be involved in any wrongdoing. “The law is equal for everyone,” he told people at an election rally in Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier this month, the tax department had searched the homes of Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s associates. Nath had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre of misusing state bodies against opponents.
The prime minister alleged that corruption was the “only protocol” in the Opposition party. He even accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who he did not name, of committing a scam to fund his election campaign, calling it the “Tughlaq Road election scam”. The Congress president’s residence in New Delhi is on Tughlaq Road.
“The food meant for children and pregnant women under a government scheme was snatched from them...the money was siphoned off to Tughlaq Road residence of a Congress leader in Delhi,” he alleged. “That money is being used for the poll campaign,” Modi added.
On April 9, the Income Tax department claimed that the searches in Madhya Pradesh had exposed a “well-organised” racket involving unaccounted cash of Rs 281 crore. A part of the cash had been transferred to the headquarters of a “major political party in Delhi”, including Rs 20 crore moved through “hawala” – or illegal transaction channels – from the residence of a “senior functionary at Tughlak Road, Delhi”, tax department had added.
The prime minister alleged that the Congress does not want to see reduction in poverty or to ensure that the problems faced by farmers lessen. “Neither is the state government writing off your debts nor is it allowing the Modi government deposit money in your accounts,” he claimed. “Instead, yhis corrupt state government is trying to stop us.”
Modi claimed that the money that the Centre has disbursed for farmers in the state was yet to reach beneficiaries and pinned the blame on Kamal Nath, PTI reported. Taking a dig at the chief minister, he alleged that Nath was “too busy” to share with the Centre a list of farmers requiring help because of his Switzerland trip and the time he reportedly needs to support his son’s political ambitions.
The prime minister also criticised Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, whose Janata Dal (Secular) is in alliance with the Congress in the state. Kumaraswamy had insulted soldiers by reportedly saying that only those who cannot manage two square meals a day join the Army, Modi added.
Earlier in the day, Modi filed his nomination papers from Varanasi. He was accompanied by senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, party president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Allies such as ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiromani Akali Dal Patron Parkash Singh Badal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan were also present.