Cong promoted Gitanjali firm: BJP

New Delhi, February 17

Countering the Congress’ charge that the PNB fraud took place under the BJP government, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said Rahul Gandhi was present at a promotional event of Gitanjali Jewels and that the fraud took place during the UPA regime.

The BJP underlined that Congress president Rahul Gandhi participated in the promotional event of Gitanjali Jewels in September 2013.

Sitharaman said: “The Congress is wrongly blaming us”, as it was they who let out a building to Nirav Modi’s Firestar Diamond International, acquired from Advait Holdings, which had Anita Singhvi—wife of Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi—as one of its directors.

She said the company had been operating from the building located in Mumbai for the past seven years. She alleged all inheritance, legacy and properties in the case belonged to the Congress.

The minister alleged while the Congress was the “beneficiary and promoter” of the Gitanjali Group company, it was blaming the BJP for their own misdeeds.

“It was during the UPA rule that the main offence” was committed, the minister said. — IANS

Singhvi warns of legal action 

• Rubbishing accusations that he and his family had links with Nirav Modi’s companies, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Defence Minister “was liable to civil and criminal defamation”
• The Congress leader said he reserved the right to take appropriate legal action against Sitharaman and a section of the media “which carry such false and maliciously defamatory allegations”